You've Been Lonely (BBRae week 2017 Collection)
by Ava Chanel
Summary: All nine of the BBRae prompts I wrote for this year's BBRae week! Collected here, for your reading pleasure. Ratings vary from T-M. Cover art by me.
1. May 01: Unorthodox Sleeping Arrangements

**A/N:** _Following suit with all the other lovely writers who contributed, I figured I'd post all my BBRae week prompts on here. Conveniently in one place for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!_

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BBRae Week: Day 1

 _ **Unorthodox Sleeping Arrangements**_ _vs Pining_

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" _Get out_."

Finality.

It was in the way she enunciated every syllable.

Beast Boy wanted to retaliate, to have one more word before his fate was sealed, but Raven had made it vividly clear that she was no longer interested in talking. She threw his pillow at his face, followed shortly by a makeshift blanket.

" _Out_ ," she repeated herself, this time with more fervor, pointing an index finger at the door behind him. Just in case he'd thought she wasn't being serious.

He hadn't expected the impact, and the soft fabric hit him square in the nose before flopping into his open arms.

It was true; he was still annoyed and maybe a bit angry with her, but the thought of sleeping apart from her for the night terrified him.

He wanted to apologize. He wanted to swallow his pride, take back everything he'd said, and make things _right_ with them again.

Anything so that he didn't have to spend the night wondering if he'd sullied such a good thing that they had going. Knowing and lingering on the fact that he'd hurt her so deep, she couldn't even stand the sight of him anymore, was tearing him to pieces on the inside.

 _[follow the cut for the rest!]_

He _loved_ her. More than anything he'd ever known in his life. There was simply no one else he wanted to make happy for the rest of his days. He'd never, ever dream of hurting her or causing her any undue misery; not when she'd already endured so much throughout most of her youthful existence. Raven was everything to him, and he was more than willing to spend every counted breath convincing her of his undying devotion if that was what it took.

That love was like the persistent lump in his throat; it was in the way his stomach twisted into knots, and how worry easily overpowered every other fighting inclination he'd felt prior.

Losing her.

That was his greatest fear.

"Raven, I-…"

Just then, she fixed him with a chilling violet stare, the ends of her short, dark hair nearly standing on end from the ominous power resonating within her. It effectively silenced him, leaving him to choke on his words.

She was fighting her emotions for control; he could see it in the way her bottom lip quivered, and the strained twitch of the muscle in her jaw.

She needed him to _leave_. No matter how much it pained him, it would only hurt worse if he stayed and caused her any more undue stress.

Defeated, he sighed and turned to go, clutching his bed things to his chest, while his shoulders slumped forward and his head hung low and heavy.

Into the dog house for the remainder of the night.

As he softly closed the door behind him, Beast Boy's heart felt overwhelmed, and his head was abuzz with all sorts of thoughts swirling about. He was so preoccupied with the anxious feeling that he'd somehow catastrophically ruined his relationship permanently, that he'd barely paid attention to the lights left on just ahead of him.

When he eventually reached the common room area, Garfield was surprised to have found Richard still lounging about on the couch, bare feet kicked up onto the coffee table. The Titans leader then turned his head to glance at the changeling with a curious expression, a single brow arched in question. His eyes darted from Garfield's long face, to the pillow and blanket tucked under his arm. Something a lot like understanding flashed in his azure gaze, and Dick appeared strangely humbled instead.

With a sympathetic smile, he asked, "Rough night?"

Beast Boy threw both pillow and blanket onto the other vacant couch and tried to make it look as comfortable as possible. "Something like that," he shrugged complacently.

Richard shifted in his seat, leaning forward to watch the green man unfold and smooth out his sheets unblinkingly.

Then, in a voice uncharacteristically low and gentle, Dick said; "You know, when Star and I had our first big fight, she locked me out on the tower roof. Said that the cold night air might help with my hot head and attitude problem." Richard broke into a grin from ear to ear at the memory, shaking his head in shame. "She forgot to let me back in. If it weren't for Raven's morning meditation ritual, I'd probably have been up there for days."

Beast Boy couldn't help but snigger at the idea of Richard Grayson, aka Nightwing, being trapped on the Titan's rooftop all because he'd managed to somehow piss off his gorgeous, over powered, alien girlfriend. "Dude, that sucks."

Richard nodded in agreement, but the smile that lit up his eyes and brought out his dimples remained. "Yeah, so take it from me; the couch isn't such a bad deal, especially since _your_ girlfriend could probably banish you to another dimension if she wanted to."

Beast Boy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, pretty sure Kory could fling you into space if _she_ wanted to."

Dick's good cheer dissipated. "Fair enough," he conceded begrudgingly.

The former boy wonder stood up to his full height then, pushing his bangs back from his face with little effect. "Either way, I'm sure the two of you will work this out in no time. It's just, every once in a while, you have to give someone the space to realize how much you mean to them." Richard placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder, squeezing gently.

Garfield sighed deeply, staring down at his own two feet rather than into the eyes of his all-knowing leader. "Yeah…Unless the _exact_ opposite happens," he mused, running his hands through his hair.

Dick's smile became a tight-lipped frown. "Don't beat yourself up so much, Gar. I don't think you're giving Raven enough credit here; she might not show it much, but she's pretty smitten. In the mean time, get some rest. I learned the hard way that staying up torturing yourself with what ifs doesn't help anyone." With that said, Dick turned out the lights, and headed to his sleeping quarters, leaving Garfield behind to mull over his words of advice.

Once Richard was out of earshot, the changeling groaned helplessly, and buried his face into his pillow when he'd flopped forward onto the couch.

He tried not to think about the pure, volatile anger in Raven's expression, or the way she'd regarded him with such scorn and resentment. Her beautiful features had contorted into something that had looked a lot like hurt and betrayal, and it pained him to realize he'd been the cause.

He should have apologized.

He should have told her that she was right and that he'd been in the wrong. Maybe, if he had, he'd be sleeping next to her right then, curled up against her back, his face nuzzled into the silken strands of her violet hair, inhaling the sweet scent of her minty shampoo.

The fight, of course, had been over something entirely ridiculous. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized how silly the whole thing had been.

"He's into you," he'd bluntly told her earlier that evening. "He's into you and he doesn't remotely see me as a threat."

He'd regretted his words the minute he'd said them.

Raven had shifted in his arms, suddenly uncomfortable and a bit perturbed by his statement. She'd turned to look at him appraisingly, trying to read him with a narrowed gaze. "What are you talking about?"

Looking back on it, he shouldn't have said _anything_. Rarely did he ever allow his insecurities to show, and like always, he'd have been just fine dealing with it by himself.

Beast Boy couldn't understand what had possessed him to have been so bold and forward in the first place.

Perhaps he'd grown so comfortable in her presence throughout their relationship that he felt like he could tell her anything. Even something like, say, his most irrational fears.

At the time, he'd tried to play it off, cool and impartial on the matter. "It's nothing serious, I just can't help but notice how he is around you, even if I'm nearby. He doesn't seem to care." He shrugged his shoulders, averting his gaze to the television so that he didn't have to stare into Raven's questioning amethyst-toned eyes.

The empath sat up abruptly, clearly trying to puzzle out what her boyfriend was insinuating. She blinked at him a few times before saying; "He is fully aware that I'm in a committed relationship and that _nothing_ will ever happen between us. What's the problem?"

Garfield absent-mindedly scratched at the nape of his neck. "Nothing. No problem," he answered untruthfully with another callous shrug. When Raven appeared to have somewhat relaxed, he added through gritted teeth, "Except for maybe, you know, that he's hitting on my girlfriend right in front of me."

Raven groaned and rolled her eyes, bringing her fingers to her temple in frustration. "Are you actually jealous of someone I'm not even interested in?"

Garfield, knowing that he'd very well opened the can of worms he promised he wouldn't, sat up properly on the bed as well.

"It's not about _your_ interest. It's about his, and the lack of respect he has for _our_ relationship. I know I come off as the comic relief guy, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let some punk kid walk all over me, either." By this point, he was growing mildly aggravated, as a lot of bottled up anger was coming up to the surface.

"I can't believe this is happening right now," Raven sighed, shaking her head. "You shouldn't feel threatened by him, Gar. This isn't some sort of testosterone competition, and I sure as hell won't have you throwing punches over it."

He raised his hands in defense. "I won't, but if he pushes the right buttons, there's no guarantee I'll hold back. Kid with a mouth like that has it coming."

Raven stared at him openly, wearing a deadpan expression. "You're ruining date night. Stop talking about beating up a young boy just to make yourself feel better. We're supposed to be cuddling and watching a movie, not arguing about nonsense," she informed him rather blandly.

" _I'm sorry_ ; next time I just won't tell you anything, and instead, keep it to myself so it doesn't _ruin_ anything," he remarked sarcastically.

Raven narrowed her eyes. "You do know we were going to have sex tonight, right?"

"You do know that I'm not some kind of hormone driven male, right?"

"I sure as hell don't need this from you, Gar. You're acting like a _child_ ," she contested, growing irritable.

He laughed, but the sound was cold and anything but merry. "Because _you're_ just the pinnacle of maturity, aren't you? I can't believe you just tried to bribe me with sex!"

Shock registered in her pixie-like features at his accusation, and then anger replaced it abruptly. " _Excuse me_?" She queried, flabbergasted.

Raven effectively moved away from him, and he was perfectly fine with that; she had somehow managed to piss him off to the point where being in the same vicinity was unnerving him.

It was Garfield's turn to fix her with a look of scorn, his smile twisted into something bitter and harsh. "Did I stutter?" He sniped.

"No," she answered coldly. "But you had better watch your tongue, Logan," she threatened, her voice low and menacing.

She'd never called him by his last name like that before. He almost immediately decided that he didn't like it, but he couldn't discern if it was merely her tone or just the manner in which she'd used it.

Despite Raven's newly intimidating demeanour, he wasn't done with her yet, still riding the tumultuous waves of his scathing fury. "You know what? Maybe you like the attention. Maybe that's why you're being so defensive of the brat. Secretly, you like it when he flirts with you, and treats you like some goddamn prize to be won," he spat venomously, the floodgates to his more well-kept emotions having been thrown open.

Raven stared at him, unblinking. Her mouth was a tight line, and dark crackling energy was materializing around her. She maintained an eerie silence, but her nostrils flared with rage.

When she did speak, her voice was thin and icy, barely even audible. "If you think this is how you'll convince me of not going on the assigned stakeout with him, you're doing a pretty bad job," she informed him through gritted teeth.

Talk about a low blow.

That one had hit right below the belt, and it must have showed on his face, for there was a flicker of a victory smile on the empath's darkly painted lips.

His anger flared, but mostly, he was just hurt. Beast Boy floundered for words, opening, and closing his mouth fruitlessly, and in the process, damaging his hurt pride even further by looking the part of a fool.

She'd effectively left him speechless. She'd played him for the idiot that he felt he was. The brief silence was numbing, and his ears rang from the heat and blood that had rushed to his face.

Raven's chilling smirk only grew. "Did I forget to tell you? Nightwing wants us to scout out some suspicious activity happening at an abandoned warehouse he's certain Brother Blood's been operating out of," she elaborated.

Garfield's handsome features contorted into something like a disgusted sneer, repulsed by this new information in ways he couldn't mask. " _Why would you tell me that_?" He asked her incredulously. The changeling's shoulders had slumped forward, a million negative thoughts running through his head as he played through various unsettling scenarios.

"Because, apparently, you don't _trust_ me," she seethed.

Beast Boy shook his head vehemently. "No," he started, "No, absolutely not. You cannot go _alone_ with him, Rae!"

"Where the hell do you get off telling me what to do?!"

"That _brat_ is going to try something bold, don't think I don't know it! You say you don't want us coming to blows, but you're practically instigating it!"

" _How dare you?!_ Years I spent with the monks of Azarath, practicing peace and non-violence, and you have the gall to accuse me of inspiring a stupid, petty _fight_?"

"All I'm saying is, the more I hear, the more I want to punch him in his stupid face!"

"So help me, Gar, if you so much as lay a finger on that kid because of this…"

"What? You'll break up with me?"

She hesitated, and their eyes locked in a heated exchange. Silence pervaded once the elephant in the room had been addressed. Somewhere in the background, the television series they'd planned to binge was still playing, but they were both unfazed by it's steady drone.

" _Get out."_

That was it.

That was how he'd winded up on the couch.

"I feel like the human equivalent of a giant turd," he grumbled to himself into his pillow, his voice muffled even as he inhaled deeply. He could still smell her in the very fabric of his sheets, like the ghost of her had somehow embedded itself in the stitching.

There was no way he'd sleep a wink, no matter what Richard had told him. Not when they'd ended things on such a horrible note, anyways. For all he knew, he'd wake up freshly single again, and would have to witness Raven potentially start dating the very _reason_ they'd broken up in the first place. He couldn't stomach the thought; it made him physically ill, knowing he was so close to losing her.

 _What had he done?_

Beast Boy slapped his palm against his forehead repeatedly, grimacing from each impact, and berating himself every time he relived what he'd had the nerve to say to her.

She'd been harsh, it was true, but he'd practically inspired it from her.

No one was a winner tonight. He'd let a much uglier side of him show itself, and Raven had not taken to it well.

"Me and my big mouth," he surmised, telling himself that tears weren't going to make him feel any better if he permitted them to spill.

Nonetheless, they burned the backs of his eyes, and his bottom lip quivered in defiance of his wishes.

He _hated_ himself.

He _always_ hated himself.

But when he was with Raven, sometimes, he forgot. When they were happy, he found something about himself to like. The way he could make her smile, for instance. A true rarity if there ever was one. When he got her to laugh, or crack wise jokes, or when he'd pleasantly surprise her and she'd gaze at him like she was proud. When she'd open up to him, and they'd have a heart to heart, or the way she'd look at him in the aftermath of a lovemaking session, her eyes glistening in the afterglow, and a contented purr rumbling from her throat.

It was in those small but precious moments that he was happiest. If she could somehow derive a sense of pleasure from his company, then it was all worth it.

However, realizing this only made it hurt even more, and Beast Boy couldn't have felt more hopeless than he did then.

The distance between them, the sudden rift. It left his heart aching in ways nothing could ever remedy. A breaking heart, so acutely aware of an impending, agonizing loneliness, was no wound that could ever be cured so easily.

Beast Boy turned on his side, squeezed his eyes shut, and buried his face into the couch's back cushion, telling himself the hot moisture he felt against his face was merely a figment of his imagination.

A few more moments of self loathing and pitiful tears, and then the atmosphere had somehow _changed_.

The blanket had shifted, exposing him to the cool air of the common room. His eyes shot open, but a familiar scent of honey and lavender permeated through his nostrils and left him still as stone.

She climbed in next to him without a word, the narrow space of the couch forcing her to snuggle in against his back, and threw the flimsy blanket overtop them both. One of her arms came to snake around his torso, and she scooted in closer, tucking her face into his neck.

Slowly, she placed her full lips, warm and tender and somewhat shaking, against the side of his neck, lingering too briefly. She then nuzzled the tip of her nose against the lobe of his ear, and crooned into him, much like a cat would towards their human's beloved touch.

Beast Boy remained frozen, not knowing what to make of the situation. His heart was soaring, pounding, and fresh tears threatened to spill anew, only this time, out of sheer bliss and joy. It had felt as if he'd been drowning this whole time, and he was finally granted the starved taste of oxygen his body had so craved.

He hadn't lost her.

Not yet.

His hand, unsteady and trembling, came up to join her where she was holding him, and he laced his fingers with hers.

"I'm not going," she then whispered against his ear, her hot breath giving him pleasurable chills. There was a hint of apology and guilt in her tone, and she placed yet another tentative kiss against his flushed neck. "I'll tell Richard in the morning. He can easily find someone else."

A sense of relief washed over him, and he squeezed her hand in response.

He wanted to apologize for his behaviour, too; he wanted to put into words all his complex thoughts and feelings. He felt like he owed her that at least, but Beast Boy was having trouble finding his voice. He was terrified it would crack from under the pressure of his overwhelming emotions.

So, instead, he brought her pale hand to his lips, and placed a tender kiss on each and every one of her dainty knuckles. It was an action so intimate that he could almost _swear_ the empath was blushing.

Garfield vowed to himself that he'd make it up to her with more than just words.

After all, talk was cheap, and she deserved the world.

Eventually, even Beast Boy managed to slip into a dreamless slumber listening to the sound of Raven's steady and slow breathing. They'd both curled up on the couch, and held onto each other like letting go would be to succumb to the most terrible of fates.

There would be a lot to talk about in the morning, apologies that needed to be said, but they both knew they'd somehow work through it.

As long as they wouldn't be spending the night alone, they'd be okay…

* * *

 _-FIN_


	2. May 01: Pining

BBRae Week: Day 1

 _Unorthodox Sleeping Arrangements vs_ _ **Pining**_

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It started with a book.

To say that Raven was addicted to the story would have been a vast understatement. The novel was one of those that had to be binged over the course of a few days. Anything more would have been sacrilege; not to mention, a total insult to the magnificent authoress and her wonderful craft. The book itself was thick and heavy, with font the tiniest, most legible size. Raven could not put the thing down. The hard cover binding was practically glued to her hands, and she was always anxious to reunite with it whenever the team would be called out to an emergency.

However, such behaviour from the empath was not unusual to witness, and thus, her teammates never made a fuss whenever she'd opted to ignore them in favor of fiction instead.

Besides, how could they even dream to compete with something Raven had always been so passionate about? Victor would even joke to the others that the empath had been born with a book in her hand, and Raven, who had been far too engrossed with the page-turner at the time, didn't even bother batting an eyelash in his direction. Although that in itself had been mildly concerning, Cyborg knew better than to press whenever the sorceress discovered such an engaging tale.

The book, at its very core, was a fantasy novel, filled with rich lore and mysticism, adventure, and romance. It had all the components necessary for an epic journey of the imagination. The author had both carefully and meticulously created a fictional world with varying races, characters, and laws, every one of which were designed with the proper love and attention needed to make a story absolutely captivating.

Where Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy had their videogames, Raven had her books. It was her way of unwinding during the downtime, and even Garfield had come to understand that throughout the years.

Thanks to all her teammates' newfound silence on the matter, eventually, the empath would come to participate in what she considered 'social reading'.

"You mean, you'll hang out with us while reading your book so long as no one bothers you or speaks to you, right?" Victor had clarified, folding his arms over his metal chest in judging disapproval.

Raven had nodded once. "That's precisely what I mean. If that's an issue, I'll just go to my room instead," she'd replied, her eyes still fixed on the page of her story.

Victor had grumbled something like an insult under his breath before Beast Boy clapped a hand over his friend's mouth in urgency. The changeling had been hoping against hope that Raven hadn't caught a word of Victor's mostly muffled outburst. "No, no! That's not an issue at all, Rae! Stick around!" He pleaded nervously, knowing he sounded desperate, even to himself.

Thankfully, she'd been willing to give them a chance regardless of Cyborg's poorer attitude, and, after the first few successful attempts, the demoness increased the frequency of which she adhered to her 'social reading' habits.

Currently, Raven sat on the sofa in the common room, her bare legs propped up on the cushion while her back pressed against the armrest, her nose buried in her book. Her eyes devoured every line, and she chewed on her bottom lip in nervous anticipation.

She'd reached a pivotal point where a heavily hinted romantic arc was finally coming to fruition between two of the main characters.

The male protagonist in question was written to be quite devilishly charming, and was evidently handsome beyond comparison, to boot. Descending from a lineage of the royal and elite high elves, he'd been bestowed with hair the colour of moonlight, and eyes like the golden sands of the desert.

Raven often found herself blushing along with the female protagonist during instances where he played the role of gallant, self-sacrificing hero. Her bare toes would wiggle and fidget over the plush cushion, and she'd absent-mindedly twirl a lock of her hair while reading a part that had the regal character effectively seduce and glamour the main heroine.

Raven could so effectively put herself in the young woman's shoes, that she had a hard time discerning the scene as a figment of her imagination at certain intervals.

One theme in particular that would crop up throughout the various encounters between the two characters, was the way in which the narrator noticed and described the prince's _ears_.

Raven couldn't help but focus on the flowery adjectives that were often used whenever the leading lady was left staring longingly at the object of her affections. They stood out, the way they were no doubt intended to, as these descriptions were littered throughout the novel, initially subtle before gradually becoming more of a prominent focus.

The prince was a high elf and a knight. He was also undoubtedly the main love interest with virtually no possible contender. His kind were considered one of the fairest creatures in the land, known for their striking beauty, demure mannerisms, and eternal youth. The girl, in comparison, was but a lowly dwarf, and although their stubbier ears were also curved to a point, they were nowhere near as elongated or sharp as their more appealing brethren.

Raven found herself trying to picture them, but no matter what, her imagination did not seem to do them justice. Not when the girl was so helplessly smitten, and Raven was left feeling…absolutely nothing. They were just _ears_ , after all. What was so special about such a boring, simplistic feature, when there were eyes, lips, and hair to take note of instead?

Raven nearly growled in frustration at the next paragraph when it happened yet again, feeling as if she were personally responsible for her lack of emotion. She angrily slammed her book down in her lap, the hard cover smacking loudly against the flesh of her naked thighs, and echoing throughout the room.

" _Yikes!_ " Beast Boy screeched at the sound, and Raven watched as he nearly jumped out of his spot on the carpeted floor in front of her. He'd been sitting cross legged, playing a racing video game when she'd startled him with the abrupt noise that her book had made. The younger boy ended up veering his virtual car out of control, and driving into a ditch displayed on the TV screen. He, too, seemed to be tipping over as he desperately motioned the controller in the direction that he wished his car to go in. Beast Boy gritted his teeth and furrowed his brows as he attempted to regain the top spot in the final lap of the race.

"I thought reading was supposed to be a _quiet_ activity, Rae," he commented dryly, his eyes still glued to the screen, ever focused.

He wore a look of determination, and didn't seem to notice Raven narrowing her eyes at him. "Forgive me for being so intrusive," she remarked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"It's cool. I think I can still get first place," he replied with a generous shrug, mashing the buttons on the controller with a renewed fervor.

Just as she was ready to chew his ear off, Raven paused.

Her mouth remained open, but her eyes went wide, and she found herself staring at the back of Beast Boy's green head in awe rather than anger.

It hit her like a hard, cold slap to the face, and it was equally as jarring and humiliating.

A sea of conflicting emotions arose within the empath before she gave a voice to their sudden urging.

Beast Boy's ears.

He had _the_ ears.

Just like in the book.

Other than the colour variation, it was the _exact_ same description, right from the highest point, down to the lobe.

Suddenly, Raven's face felt flushed.

Her pulse quickened, and her palms grew clammy with sweat.

She quickly lost track of time, staring at the shape of Beast Boy's ears, all the while he was far too distracted to notice her drastic change in attitude.

He had the prince's ears; Elvin ears. They were just as majestic, just as otherworldly, and just as tempting to touch. Something about them captivated her attention, and Raven wondered how she'd never noticed it before. Even though they were an emerald green rather than the Prince's golden tan, she still ached to reach out and run her fingers along the cartilage structure. She wanted to know what they felt like beneath her fingertips, and her hands practically craved the sensation like a missing sixth sense. She had to fight every impulse, every lurch that wanted to overcome her iron will, and it showed in the way her fingers danced nervously along the edge of her seat.

More than anything, Raven wanted to glide her tongue along the outside of one of Beast Boy's ears. She wanted to _taste_ him, and the thought alone made her involuntarily shudder.

She could hardly believe herself; since when did she want to lick _anything_ on Beast Boy?

"Uh, Raven? Why're you starin' at the back of Beast Boy's head?"

The empath jumped in her seat at the sudden intruding voice.

She was cruelly pulled out of fantasy land, and placed back in the real world, where Victor Stone regarded her with a look of scrutiny, and awaited her explanation with a pointed stare. The red light of his cybernetic eye bored into her, and Raven practically squirmed, hoping that, by some miracle, Beast Boy hadn't noticed.

"I-I…I wasn't!" She stammered, knowing how weak her argument was even before the words had left her mouth. Raven practically crawled away from her teammate's intimidating shadow, as if distance alone would somehow dilute the sheer mortification she was experiencing in that moment.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow at her uncharacteristic behaviour, reading her like an open book. "Sure looked like you were. Thinkin' about blowing his head up with your mind?" He teased. Then, his playful expression changed into one of contemplation, and he added, "Wait… _can_ you even do that?"

If she weren't so flustered already with the fact that she'd been caught having strange fantasies about the shapeshifter's ears, Raven might have bothered to correct her friend on the matter of her abilities.

Instead, when she'd realized that Beast Boy had paused his game to turn around and observe their little ongoing exchange, Raven was suddenly still as stone, all the colour draining from her face.

"Rae, you okay?" Cyborg queried, this time more concerned than curious.

She never did answer him; instead, she had merely opened a portal, and disappeared to the safety of her room, fleeing the scene with her book hugged tightly to her chest.

The last thing either of them saw was the trailing end of her billowy, blue cape.

Cyborg appeared to be completely dumbfounded by the entire spectacle he'd just witnessed, and thus looked to the green-skinned boy seated on the floor for answers, his mouth hanging open.

Garfield, who was just as befuddled as he usually would be in such situations, merely shrugged before returning to his game. Nonchalantly, he surmised the only plausible explanation he could possibly think of in that moment; "It's the ears, dude. Chicks dig the ears."

* * *

 _-FIN_


	3. May 02: Awkward Moments

BBRae Week: Day 2

 _ **Awkward Moments**_ _vs Primal_

* * *

RATED: **[M]** for suggestive content.

* * *

Beast Boy had had some crazy ideas before.

Heck, he was practically full of them.

Maybe that was why hardly any of his teammates took his suggestions seriously. To be fair, he _did_ make most of them in jest.

Unfortunately, this hadn't really changed once he'd started dating Raven.

What he hadn't been expecting, however, was for her to agree to something he'd semi-seriously mentioned offhandedly.

Pacing in his room, feeling high-strung, nervous, and uncomfortable, Beast Boy was still struggling with the notion that his girlfriend had decided to humor him and his ridiculous proposition.

Not only was it extremely risky, it was also extremely… _weird_.

He never envisioned her saying yes.

Now that it was happening, _really_ happening, he was suddenly reverted to a bundle of nerves, picking at his costume, and fiddling with his hair in the mirror to no avail. He couldn't stop fidgeting, his fingers always itching to adjust something on his person.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," Raven's muffled voice announced from behind his bathroom door.

Beast Boy froze, suddenly unable to move now that he was a mere few moments away from what they were going to do. What they'd mutually _agreed_ to do.

His heart hammered in his chest and the blood was quick to drain from his face. He didn't even know what to _expect_.

He'd tried, time and time again, to visualize it, but no matter what his wild imagination could come up with, it never seemed quite right. He could never fill in the blanks, and the resulting picture was often just a fuzzy disappointment. A travesty, considering how good he typically was at these sorts of things.

Now, however, he would know for certain. Beast Boy had a photographic memory, and he had a feeling this was a sight he wasn't like to forget anytime soon.

The shapeshifter gulped, his mouth dry and his tongue feeling like a thick wad of cotton instead. "O-okay," he managed to squeak.

There was a soft _click_ from the lock, and then the bathroom door opened just a crack. Raven poked her head out to survey his position in the room, and her eyes widened in surprise when she took in his unusual getup.

Garfield burned crimson up to the tips of his ears.

"N-no fair! We were supposed to show one another at the same time!" He whined, running to hide behind his bed frame, mortified.

Raven followed him with her eyes, and he could swear he saw a flicker of amusement light up the violet tones in her darker irises.

"Fine, but you can't _laugh_ ," she conceded in a firm voice.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "You know I won't."

Slowly, she stepped out from behind the door, until she was in full view of him. Raven hugged her bare arms, slightly shivering in the little raunchy number she was in. She chewed on her bottom lip, and had forcefully dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to handle the look she knew she'd find on his face.

To say that she'd knocked the breath right out from his lungs would not have done it justice; Beast Boy's heart was _racing_.

He'd always known Raven was stunning. She had a sensuous body, with all the right amount of curves and soft angles. Even in her leotard and cape, that much had always been evident to him. Heck, during a few of their more heated make-out sessions, he'd even managed a feel or two to attest to her feminine allure.

Still, somehow seeing her in such a revealing costume was enough to send the changeling into a dizzy fit. It was surprisingly snug against her figure, and the more south his eyes travelled, the more skin was revealed. The soft, purple material clashed against the pallor of her tone, but to him, she looked breathtaking.

She _always_ did.

"You're _staring_ ," she informed him pointedly, her eyes still darting between his expression and the cold, tiled ground. There was a subtle redness to her cheeks when she spoke, even though she was doing her best to seem unperturbed.

Of course he was staring. How could he _not_?

Beast Boy gulped. "Uh…sorry," he apologized meekly, but it wasn't entirely genuine.

He couldn't understand why he had to in the first place; she was gorgeous. Especially when she was blushing.

"You look…," he trailed off, not able to find the right word to describe her adequately; nothing in the English language could do her beauty justice.

"…Naked?" She filled in for him rather unexpectedly. "Because I am. I'm practically naked. How in the hell does Kory fight in this getup? I can barely _walk_." Raven picked annoyingly at the small bit of material covering her breasts, and nearly panicked when she'd moved it enough to reveal a bit of the pink from her areolas instead.

Beast Boy's face flushed, and he squeezed his eyes shut, looking away out of respect. "I didn't see anything, I-I swear!" He lied. "The mask; it's actually a lot harder to look through than you'd think!"

He heard her stumble into the door wearing the obscene pair of heels her costume had come with, trying desperately to adjust the small amount of fabric over her breasts.

"I look ridiculous!" She whined in frustration.

Beast Boy opened a single eye, and squinted in her direction to ensure that she was as decent as she could be in the replica outfit. When he witnessed her pouting, her arms folded over her chest, he regarded her with a troubled look. "Raven, if anyone here looks ridiculous, it's me. You…you're incredible," he reassured her, his eyes travelling shyly down the length of her body. His heart pounded in response, and his pants started to feel even more restricting than they already were.

She took the opportunity to glance up at him, slightly incredulous at his comment. A warm smile tugged at his lips and he took a few steps towards her, motioning with his hands at the skin-tight suit he was currently donning. "I don't know how Dick hides the moose knuckle, but my crotch has never felt more uncomfortable," he joked, a forced bubble of laughter choking out of his throat.

Raven's eyes trailed down towards his aforementioned anatomy before quickly looking away, her cheeks warm and rosy.

He was having a hard time tearing his own gaze away from the definition of her long, shapely legs, so brazenly on display. The purple, high heeled boots, for as uncomfortable as they appeared, also seemed to be highlighting the toned musculature of her lower limbs. Then again, even in the leotard, he often stared. Especially at the place her legs met her back.

Beast Boy gulped, and ignored the rush of blood echoing in his ears. "We don't have to do this, you know. If you don't want to. It's not too late to back out," he reminded her, feeling guilty and a bit ashamed. He brought his gloved hands together, his fingers nervously fidgeting with one another, and stared down at them instead.

Theoretically, it had all sounded like a good idea. However, the execution was sloppy and unnerving, and he hated seeing his girlfriend this way. Beast Boy had always known that Raven often struggled with her emotions and trust; the very last thing he aimed to do was make her so physically uncomfortable in his presence. It hurt him deeply thinking that he'd done just that.

Raven, likely sensing his guilt, shook her head in protest. "No. I said I would, and I'm not going to wimp out. Besides, you already spent the money on these stupid, custom-made things. We're going to do this, Gar." There was a confident finality in her tone when she spoke, and a new determined hardness in her eyes.

It was enough to get his blood pumping.

Before he could react, Raven stood up tall, and allowed her hands to fall at her sides, proudly displaying Starfire's attire that had been fitted to her figure. Beast Boy might have whimpered if he'd been capable of any sound at all.

Carefully, she started walking towards him, the heels of her knee-high purple boots sinking into the plush of his carpet. She wobbled on occasion, but seemed to catch herself with a level of grace that hadn't been there before.

Beast Boy took a step back, but Raven drew closer, running her hands over the tight black material stretched over the muscles of his chest when she reached him. "Will you be doing the taking of me, Nightwing?" Her voice was sultry and deep, her minty sweet breath tickling his face as she leaned down towards him. All the while, her darkening gaze flickered hungrily towards his open mouth.

The heels effectively made Raven a good few inches taller than him, just as Starfire often towered over Richard. The re-enactment couldn't have been any more genuine unless they were Nightwing and Starfire themselves.

Beast Boy gulped, and licked his dry lips, trying not to think about the fact that his erection, so prominent in the skin-tight suit he was wearing, was throbbing against the inside of her warm thigh.

Just as her parted mouth hovered dangerously over his, Raven pushed Beast Boy back onto the bed, crawling over top of him seductively, like a feline would stalk their prey.

When he glanced down at her ample chest, the thin material covering her breasts had slipped over the mounds, revealing the rosy buds of her nipples. He groaned, and his gloved hands rubbed up along the backs of her thighs, towards her firm butt cheeks. It was aggravating that he couldn't take the gloves off without having to remove the costume in its entirety as well.

"Raven…," he moaned her name just as she bent down to nibble at his ear. She paused and looked up at him with a raised brow. Realization dawned on him, and he blushed. "I mean, uh, _Starfire_ …," he hastily corrected himself.

Raven frowned. " _Kory_. In the bedroom, you can call me Kory."

She sat up and straddled his hips, quickly moving to adjust the bikini straps upon noticing her breasts had escaped their confinement yet again.

Garfield's hands moved to thwart her efforts, and she looked down at him in confusion. "D-don't," he pleaded shyly.

Raven bit down at her bottom lip, her violet eyes soft and glassy when she locked her gaze with his. "Do you…like them?"

"I like _all of you_ ," he breathed, his response coming to him as easily as oxygen.

He moved the remainder of the fabric until her full breasts were on display, the buds hardening in the cool air of the room. He squeezed one in each hand, and Raven ground her hips against his, rubbing her core along the length of his erection. She threw her head back and moaned softly, eyes falling closed at the sensation of his gloved fingers rolling the sensitive flesh of her nipples.

" _Gar_ …," she purred.

He grinned mischievously. "You mean Dick."

A giggle left the empath's mouth, sweet like honey.

"No, I mean _you_ ," she replied with a wicked smile, leaning down towards him for a tender kiss.

He met her mouth in earnest, relishing in how she tasted. He ran his hands along the length of her spine while she deepened the kiss, her hungry tongue clashing with his. She sucked at his bottom lip, earning her a healthy groan from the changeling.

When they pulled apart for air, Raven played with the edges of the infamous mask that hid his eyes. "I doubt she lets him keep this on when they're doing this," she noted playfully before peeling away the black borders from his skin, and tossing the mesh away to reveal the striking green of his eyes.

"I doubt she lets him keep _anything_ on when they're doing this," Beast Boy ribbed, chuckling.

He sat up in a single fluid motion, and pulled her hips against his. Her arms rested atop his shoulders, and her fingers tangled in his thick hair. He nipped at her mouth playfully, and she rocked slowly against him. He moved his mouth along her jawline, down towards the tender spot below her ear, grazing the point of his fangs just over her bounding pulse. Raven moaned, her hands travelling down along the defined musculature of his upper arms in the suit. The taut material practically curved into every groove of definition, highlighting the changeling's lean figure in a sheen of onyx black.

When they pulled apart again, panting and their heartbeats ringing in their ears, Beast Boy said, "You know, chafing aside, I'm starting to get the appeal of the suit. Really inspires confidence, plus my ass looks great."

Raven snickered. "I'll say." She then glanced down at her own purple swim suit inspired costume, which was now askew in all sorts of risqué places. "I've always respected Star, but I think I've developed a deeper understanding of how well that woman pulls this off."

Beast Boy shook his head, smiling. "I still can't believe you actually agreed to this. Not that I'm complaining! Just…pleasantly surprised."

Raven tucked a strand of her violet hair behind her ear, her eyes darting nervously to his face and then back down at her costume. "That makes the two of us…Is it weird that I'm really turned on right now?"

The changeling shrugged, his eyes twinkling in the dim light of the room. "There are stranger kinks out there. As for the arousal bit, I'm right there with you." He nuzzled his face into her shoulder, sucking on her neck and making her sigh in contentment.

"Mmmm, so who are we roleplaying next?" She purred, her nails raking a path down his back.

"Well, Batman and Catwoman are a classic."

"Too much leather." Raven scrunched up her nose in distaste.

"Big Barda and Mister Miracle?"

"The height difference is cute, but I feel like the capes would get in the way."

"Aquaman and Mera?"

"He's a tool and I don't like his attitude."

Beast Boy figured there was more to the story there, but knew better than to press. "Okay. Uhh…What about Green Arrow and Black Canary?"

Raven seemed contemplative. "Lose the moustache, and I might be interested."

Beast Boy snorted. "Alright, so we've got potential. Now, how would you feel about costumes from video games and anime?" He waggled his brows at her suggestively, a look of unabashed hope lingering in his green gaze.

Raven's expression remained unimpressed, as she pursed her lips, and folded her arms over her chest. "Don't push it," she warned. Glancing down at the snug blue emblem on his chest, she then licked her lips and added, "Besides, we've barely even started _here_."

She then leaned in towards him, the tip of her nose brushing against his, and a look of catty mischief in her expression. Her hands slowly ran up from his hard abdomen to his chest. "Now, would you like to show me your human customs in the making of the love?" Her tone had increased in pitch, but maintained a seductive edge as she tried to mimic Starfire's voice.

Beast Boy couldn't help the coy smile on his lips beneath her own when she'd dipped down to steal another kiss…

* * *

"I can't believe they're doing this…," Dick fretted, unable to pull his eyes away from the bedroom window.

Raven and Beast Boy had left their curtains wide open. So when the gang had met up on the rocks by the water outside of the tower, Cyborg had glanced up and dubiously asked, "So, why're there two of you now?"

At first, the couple appeared confused by his query, but when they followed his gaze, and witnessed what they were now certain was roleplaying, they had trouble believing their own eyes. At least, Richard did, anyways. Their leader went white as a sheet, his jaw dropping, and clutched at the strands of his own hair. He was currently still in that state of disbelief, and Cyborg was having a difficult time deciding what was funnier; Dick's reaction, or Beast Boy and Raven's new 'activity'.

Starfire merely giggled. "Is there not a saying in your language that tells of imitation being the highest form of flattery?"

Dick spun his head in her direction, his lips a thin line and his eyes still wide as saucers.

"Yeah, but this is different, Star!" He exclaimed. "This is just _unsettling_. Oh God, I think he installed a crotch zipper. Why would he do that?!" Dick cried out, a painful grimace settling on his otherwise handsome features.

Cyborg took the opportunity to mock his leader with a knowing grin. "Well, ain't that obvious? Convenience, my friend. Maybe you ought to look into a few upgrades yourself." He clapped the agitated man on the shoulder in false comfort.

Richard groaned loudly, annoyed, and equally disturbed. "It's practically blaspheming the suit! Not to mention, draws all the attention to…to… _you know_!"

Victor snickered at Richard's sudden prudence; it was if the level-headed Titan had reverted into an adolescent boy, instead.

"Although I do prefer you naked, love, the zipper _would_ help change the definition of what you would call a 'quickie'," Starfire chimed in, wearing a sympathetic smile directed at her boyfriend.

Cyborg threw his head back and laughed uproariously. Dick blanched. " _Kory_!"

The Tamaranean princess appeared confused at her friend's reactions. "What? If anything, I'd say I like this idea friend Beast Boy and friend Raven have come up with. I have always wanted to swap the clothes with her!" The flame haired beauty twirled a fire-red lock of her infinite tresses with a single finger, wearing a wistful expression.

"It's like the universe keeps finding ways to make this even _more_ awkward," Richard stated morosely, staring at his girlfriend like she'd sprouted another head.

Victor had tears in his human eye, he was laughing so hard. "The real question is, do we tell 'em?"

At the same time, Nightwing cried out in vain protest, "No!" and Starfire, clapping her hands together below her chin, gleefully replied with, "Yes!"

The couple spared a moment to look at one another, as if waiting for the other to change their answer.

When they seemed to have reached a stalemate, neither willing to bend, Victor decided to play referee. "Alright, how about this; I'll torment B about it in private, and Star can corner Raven into lending her one of her leotards. Fair?"

Richard fixed his friend with a stunned look, sputtering on the spot. "Wha-…? Why would she…? How do I…? Goddamn it, I'm _not_ dressing up like Beast Boy to have sex!"

His attempts to secure any form of dignity were then quickly drowned out by the giggling fit of his friends…

* * *

 _-FIN_


	4. May 02: Primal

BBRae Week: Day 2

 _Awkward Moments vs_ _ **Primal**_

* * *

She watched the young boy struggle in vain.

They slammed him against the wall, his small frame hitting the concrete with a loud, reverberating thud. His cheek pressed hard against the cement, and he squirmed helplessly all the while they held him down. His eyes, the colour of forest trees and glittering jade, locked with hers; a silent plea for help.

He was the last normie left in the project.

The more time that had passed, the more they'd all innocently assumed that not even their cold-hearted captures would have the nerve to weaponize the sweetest, most kind-hearted soul in the place.

Of course, they'd been wrong.

 _So_ wrong.

Raven was made to watch, as she always was.

She would be their keeper, should things take a nasty turn.

Something inside her cracked at the way he looked at her; something she'd thought long gone. He was succumbing to his fate; she could feel it, but hot tears spilled down his cheeks, and he never once took his eyes off her.

She had to remain neutral.

There was nothing she could do; nothing that wouldn't simply get them both killed if she so much as _tried_.

A fate as a weapon was far more hopeful than a total death sentence. Perhaps, his wouldn't be so bad. Some of those gifted abilities were hardly altered at all.

 _Liar_.

A voice in her head wouldn't even allow her the comfort of a fib; not in this hellhole. She could recall how they'd meticulously taken their time developing and testing Garfield's particular serum. They'd saved him for _last_. Not out of sympathy, but because his was the most potent, and had most likely killed previous test subjects before him.

They had to get it _just_ right.

Couldn't afford to squander any potential viable hosts.

Raven forced herself to look away when they began to strip him of the dirty rags they called clothes, exposing his pale skin to the cold sterility of the room. He was shivering. Whether from fear or chill, Raven could not tell.

The syringe glistened in the artificial light, the bubbling green serum pulsating with life in the glass chamber.

They were going to inject him with it.

Even in the tube, it looked menacing; like a deadly, toxic poison. She didn't know what it was going to do to him. She didn't know what weapon they'd bestow upon him. So, Raven took one last lingering look at the boy with sunshine in his hair, and tried to commit him to memory. Just in case.

He bucked when the sharp needle pierced his skin, a near silent scream leaving his opened mouth. His eyes closed shut from both the pain and the exhaustion, and he grimaced before he stopped moving entirely. Tears still lingered in his pale lashes, and the moisture from his running nose dribbled down over his mouth and to his chin.

Raven didn't realize she'd been holding her breath. She didn't know that her expression had betrayed her own emotions; it had been so _long_ since she'd felt anything for the subjects, she'd nearly forgotten what it was like. It both saddened and terrified her to know how effectively they'd vetted the human out of her.

Slowly, the green toxin disappeared from it's chamber as the administrator pushed the plunger of the needle down.

Garfield Mark Logan.

She knew him, only not when he was so dead in the eyes.

He was the kid full of life and vigor, even in a place as desolate as this. Those first few spring flowers that grew between the concrete, somehow thriving in a wasteland; that was Gar. With his golden hair, the striking green of his irises, and youthful smile, he was widely loved among the group. A ray of sunshine, he was always making jokes and cheering people up, even when all they did was push him away or put him down.

He was resilient.

Persistent.

Above all, he was optimistic.

To Raven, he'd always stood out.

Someone just out of reach, someone she'd often hoped and longed for. She hated how she craved his attention; how she'd often wished that it was _her_ he'd doted on instead of the others. Being in his presence was akin to feeling the warmth of the sun against her face again.

What was it like, to be loved by someone so full of the emotion?

Raven was no fool; she had long since accepted that she'd never come to know such a thing. Nonetheless, dreams cost nothing, and in the least, she was allowed that much.

That was why, this time around, it was difficult to go through with her part.

The boy made of summer was vanishing right before her eyes. His body, frail and helpless, had slumped down to the ground as the guard backed away steadily.

The entire room was silent, holding its breath in the few crucial moments that always dictated what would happen next.

Raven was ready.

She always had to be ready.

This time, for Garfield's sake.

For a few moments, the boy she'd considered her muse lay perfectly still, much like he would in all her drawings of him.

And then the convulsions started.

They raked his body in violent waves, sending him thrashing wildly about on the spot.

Raven's hands had curled into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to leave marks.

The monitors that surveyed his vital signs spiked, alarms beeping as the numbers grew higher and higher. Judging by the looks on their faces, the doctors and scientists could have presumed he'd died; there was no way any individual would have survived such a shock to their system.

"Oh, God…"

The guard's breathy prayer drew their attention away from the screens immediately.

The soldiers were all backing away, watching the scene with newly registered horror on their faces. Raven could feel the way fear spiked from within them.

This one was going to be _bad_.

The empath's eyes widened, and she nearly rubbed at them with her shaking hands, thinking that what she was witnessing must have been an illusion of some kind.

Garfield's skin was slowly changing colour. It had started at the site of the injection, and it spread along his body like a potent virus, turning every part of him a green so splendid, it could have rivalled the color of his irises.

It climbed up his back, around to his ribcage, up to his throat, and even his face. It hit the nape of his neck, where Raven briefly wondered if his luscious, golden locks would be spared.

They were not.

Every part of Garfield Logan was now green, including the soft waves of his hair, as if he'd been painstakingly painted over without a single detail spared.

It was perhaps, aside from Cyborg, the most bizarre transformation Raven had ever witnessed at the camp.

Only when the serum had taken complete effect did the spasms finally wind down to a halt.

Not a moment later, Garfield's eyes shot open, and something a lot like a menacing growl rumbled in his throat. Amber swirled in his irises, now a thin golden ring around the black of his dilated pupils.

Raven felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and in moments, she was ushered into the room by force.

In seconds, the scene before her had changed, as had the innocent boy she'd come to admire from afar.

Garfield Logan was gone.

In his place stood a tall, angry, frothing at the mouth, _monster_.

For the first time in a long time, the girl was scared. She was terrified, practically cowering on the spot.

He'd effectively thrashed the guards against the walls with a ferocious roar, and they were currently slumped over, lifeless, a trail of red staining the otherwise white canvas of the room.

The strength in his ferocious claws was no doubt unmatched by anything they dished out at him, and it was only a matter of time before his eyes, no longer human, locked with hers.

Raven was the last one left standing, and no one else would dare enter until she did what she'd been groomed to do.

Somewhere on the ground, the syringe responsible for such devastation was laying in pieces.

He was breathing heavily, from the exertion of dealing with the guards who had tried to subdue him, and the tranquilizer serum they'd shot mercilessly into his furry body. Streaks of read oozed down his torso, and Raven knew he'd been wounded in the fight for control. The tranquilizer darts lay bloody on the floor next his massive, clawed haunches.

He huffed, his upper lip curling to reveal a set of sharp fangs glistening in the light. He was tall enough that he very nearly had to squat without hitting his head against the roof of the room.

Nonetheless, he did not move to attack her, and Raven took the opportunity to calm his erratic emotions.

She reached out with her abilities, carefully, tentatively. With gentle grace, she soothed away the feelings of fear, anger, and dread emanating from within the troubled, tragic beast before her.

She calmed him.

It took immense effort and concentration, as every time she would settle one emotion, the others would crop back up with the propeller that was his insurmountable anxiety. She was making him nervous, this strange, pale slip of a girl with the violet hair and quiet voice.

He wasn't sure he could quite trust her yet, with her peculiar scent and unique abilities.

Raven slowly stepped over the bodies, moving deliberately towards him. Her bare feet padded against the cold floor, expertly dodging the splatters of crimson blood around her. The closer she got, the more powerful her influence would be.

The monster seemed to stagger, as if forced back by an invisible aura.

Raven kept her eyes trained on him, unblinking.

He opened his maw, but only a weak whine gurgled from his throat, and then a long-winded howl of protest.

He could not hurt her.

He would not.

The boy still trapped within refused; the boy was guilt ridden and disgusted with the crimes he'd already committed. There was blood beneath his fingertips and nailbeds; the kind he couldn't scrub away.

By the time she reached him, he'd already begun shrinking in size, and Raven could have sung praises to the heavens; the transformation was not permanent, even though the green was evidently there to stay.

A naked boy cowered down towards the floor, hugging his knees to his chest while burying his face in his arms. He rocked gently, confused and unable to make sense of what he was feeling. His shoulders shook with every difficult heave he took, like oxygen was a foreign gas to his weakened lungs.

Raven sat next to him and reached out a delicate, pale hand towards his bare arm.

All his clothes were shredded from the change, and he was left entirely exposed in more ways than one.

Upon contact, she could use the full effect of her powers, and so, Raven absorbed what was left of his already mostly healed wounds, taking away any lingering pain.

Dry sobs wracked his body, and she did her best to absolve him of his more detrimental emotions, too.

When he was finally able to look up at the girl whose touch was cold as ice, she noted that his irises had returned to their more natural forest-green colour. They were bloodshot and tear stricken, but at least she could recognize him again. Her sunshine boy.

He searched the planes of her face like he was seeing her for the very first time, his pupils darting about in ways that made her heart gallop. Under any other circumstances, she might have blushed; he'd never looked at her that way before.

"R-Raven…?" He stammered, his voice hoarse and strained.

 _He knew her name._

That had caught her off guard.

When she didn't answer, too distracted with the notion that somehow, he'd noticed her enough to recall her name, Garfield glanced down at his unsteady hands.

Although much shorter now, his nails were still sharpened claws and very much a pigmented green. He stared at them with glassy eyes, terrified. "What…what am I…?"

Raven's fingers found his, drawing his attention back to her. She traced the many lines of his palm before whispering; "One of us."

* * *

 _-FIN_


	5. May 03: Firsts & Telling the Team

BBRae Week: Day 3

 _ **Firsts vs Telling the Team**_

* * *

"Hey, Raven, when it comes to this bed, think I can stash my entire comic collection _Undredal_?"

The empath sighed wearily, putting down the catalogue she'd been holding into the shopping cart. "Really, Gar?"

The changeling grinned toothily, evidently proud of himself for such a clever play on the Swedish word. He was currently balancing on the front edge of the cart like a child while Raven helped push it forward. She responded with a nonplussed expression.

"Come on; that one was funny!" He whined, pouting at her.

Garfield then hopped off the cart and jogged towards the bedframe he'd been looking at. "Seriously; I like this one."

He quickly plopped onto the fluffy mattress, his lean frame practically sinking into the white puff of blankets and bedsheets.

"Yeah, sure, it's nice," Raven said dryly with a shrug of her shoulders.

Beast Boy bounced on the bed in excitement.

"It's also _way_ out of our budget," she reminded him quite sternly, folding her arms over her chest.

He stopped moving, and gave her his best puppy eyes, knowing exactly how to disarm Raven's defenses. "Aw, this one isn't too bad, Rae. The _Hasselvika_ , which by the way is really nice, has a price tag that's way more of a _hassle_." He winked at her while she rolled her eyes exasperatedly, and stifled a groan, pinching the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger.

"You do realize that's the price for just the frame, right? As in, we still have to buy a mattress, pillows, bedsheets, and covers, not to mention a blanket," Raven listed, ticking each individual item off on her fingers.

His smile fell the more she went on.

"Okay, first of all, try _two_ blankets, seeing as how _someone_ likes to hog all the covers when she sleeps. Second of all, _psh_ , _of course_ I knew that. But how much more expensive are _sheets_?"

Raven fixed her chilling, violet stare down at him before remarking rather coldly; "Expensive, Gar. _Everything_ is expensive. We have to be smart about this. It's bad enough you splurged on the new place, we can't afford to buy all the nicest things on a whim."

Beast Boy cocked his head to the side, watching her curiously. He then deliberately licked his lips and took in a deep breath, choosing his next words rather carefully. "Well…I mean, _I_ can," he finally confessed in a small voice.

Raven raised an inky black brow, her lips parting in question.

Garfield scratched at the back of his head nervously, unable to match her intense, icy gaze. "Money isn't an issue for me, Rae…I don't really like to talk about it because…I don't want people to like me just because I have money."

"Is this about your inheritance?" She asked rather bluntly.

When he stared at her, slack jawed and speechless, Raven sighed. "We've been dating for three years, Gar, and we've known each other for way longer. Did you really think I didn't know?"

When he blinked a few times in confusion, her expression softened, and she parked their cart next to the showroom display before joining him on the bed. He examined her profile with a heavy heart, but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"If you don't have it figured out yet, I don't much care for material things. I was raised with very little, and learned to find the value in the world around me. I used to think a good book was better than any pair of fancy shoes or expensive dresses. Or, that I'd much rather spend my time in my room than on a beach somewhere at a resort…," Raven explained, her expression rather dreamy.

She then shyly spared him a glance, a strand of violet hair falling before her eyes. "That all changed when I grew up, when I found a _home_ with the Titans…I realized that, all the finer things in life…they're only _fine_ when you're sharing them with someone else…" Raven's fingers found his, and she squeezed them tightly beneath her own.

"Raven…," Garfield cooed her name, and it fell from his lips like honey.

He could have cupped her face and kissed her right then and there.

He _would_ have kissed her, except for the fact that they were currently in a busy, bustling furniture store on a weekend, and Raven wasn't overly fond of public displays of affection.

"I don't _care_ about the money, Gar. I want to experience this with _you_. I want to do this thing, whatever it is we're trying to do here, _together_. Even something as trivial as buying a new couch, or installing a new sink, or painting our living room. None of it is half as interesting when you're not in the equation…," Raven elaborated, her tone genuine in delivery. "Bottom line; I don't want you to make it easy just because you've got some fortune tucked away. We've spent all our lives doing things the harder way, and I don't think I'd change a thing."

Garfield hardly noticed that he'd been grinning like a fool the whole time until his face had started hurting. "You really wanna do this? Be frugal together?" He turned to look at her, cupping both her hands in his own.

Raven nodded exuberantly, and she had to push her hair behind her ears while trying to downplay the bashful smile that he'd coerced from her. "Of course," she agreed simply, "Let's find our _own_ way, like we always have."

She stood up then, and proceeded to adjust her miniskirt and leggings. Then, she pulled him up by the hand and didn't let go. Her fingers tangled with his, and she used her dark magic to move the cart along instead, not caring for any strange looks the couple received. Gently, she rested the side of her head against his shoulder, linking her arm through his.

Beast Boy didn't think it possible, but somehow, he'd fallen even more in love with her than before; he couldn't take his eyes off her, and no matter what, his persistently stupid smile stayed fixed onto his face.

"So, when do you think we should break the news to the others?" He asked tentatively, knowing the subject matter was still a sensitive one with the empath.

Raven grimaced before regaining her cool composure once more. "Sooner than later…," she surmised uneasily.

Garfield sighed deeply. "That's what you said three months ago, Rae. Now, we've already got the place, and move-in day is next week. We need to tell them," he urged, using their interlocked hands to pull her closer.

"I…I'm scared," she admitted hesitantly, using her free hand to mask her eyes from view.

The cart stopped moving, and a few people had paused in their shopping experience to point out their presence. "It's the Titans!" A child shouted in excitement before his parents quickly hushed him, spared them a smile, and walked on.

Beast Boy waved before returning to address his distressed girlfriend. "Well, like you said, we're in this together. So, how about tonight, we get back to the tower and call up a meeting?" Beast Boy gently massaged her back, giving her a trademark smirk that would hopefully lighten the burden she was always convinced she carried on her own.

Raven bit down on her bottom lip, clearly struggling with the overwhelming emotions within her. She was conflicted about leaving behind the only true family she'd come to know, and so Garfield had allowed her to put off the inevitable for the sake of her comfort. He'd even offered to do it alone if she didn't want to. Naturally, she'd adamantly refused.

"Yeah, I suppose we have to…," she conceded ruefully, her eyes glassy as she stared down at the empty shopping cart.

Garfield opted to move forward first, maintaining his upbeat attitude the whole way. "I mean, it would make moving day a whole lot easier if Vic, Kory, and Dick showed up to help. Especially since you're not allowed to lift much these days," he added, sparing her a playful wink and a smile that lit up his verdant eyes. "Speaking of which, I do believe we've got one more showroom to visit before we make the final trip downstairs. Still got that pencil and paper handy, right?"

Raven nodded, pulling it out of the catalogue where she'd left it in the cart.

"Good. The _Stuva_ is the one I really liked when I was checking out their website. I wanted to show it to you, see what you think." Garfield then barrelled straight through the aisle towards the next showroom of furniture, pushing the cart forward with him and leaving his girlfriend behind to follow at her own pace.

Raven shook her head, but couldn't help the infectious smile that resulted from Beast Boy's excitement.

With a hand subconsciously moving to the small curve of her belly, Raven didn't think that, of all the things they'd have to shop for, it was the _crib_ that the changeling would have been anticipating the most…

* * *

 _-FIN_


	6. May 04: Goodbyes & Lips and Kisses

BBRae Week: Day 4

 _ **Goodbyes vs Lips/Kisses**_

* * *

Raven felt _strange_.

Unfamiliar territory was a foreign concept to her these days thanks to growing up along with the Titans, and yet, she had never known this feeling before.

It wasn't for lack of experience, though; she'd certainly had her fair share of relationships throughout the years, and had thus become accustomed to certain roller coaster aspects of such romances.

Yet, somehow, things with Garfield Logan were always _different_.

For starters, Raven had never once craved a person's company in the way she craved the changeling's.

As someone who prioritized and very much enjoyed her alone time, she couldn't understand the sudden restlessness she would often experience whenever her shapeshifting boyfriend was otherwise preoccupied.

Normally, she'd look forward to the idea of spending the evening reading, meditating, and enjoying a cup of tea by her lonesome. Except, after about an hour with her own insufferable company, Raven would start to feel like a caged bird; restless and lonely. She'd try focusing on her mantra, to help calm her nerves, but it never worked quite the same.

Every time, her mind wandered, and it had an uncanny habit of focusing in on the delightfully warm embrace of a pair of strong, green arms. Of course, when she'd realize that only the cold air of her room enveloped her, Raven's heart plummeted in disappointment and longing.

Once she'd acknowledge the idea of him, the sorceress would have a hard time thinking about anything _else_. She found herself recalling the smaller details, like the scent of his spiced soap, or the way his eyes, the colour of nature itself, would catch the dimmest light of any room. She thought about the way he'd hold her, often nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. She thought about how shy and gentle his lips would be beneath her own, when he'd work up the courage to steal a kiss. Mostly, she thought of the comfort of his presence whenever he was around her, his positive emotions bubbling up to the surface and intoxicating her.

Without the safety net of his blissful happiness, Raven almost felt naked and exposed, like she was a victim to her own thoughts and feelings.

It ruined her meditation, and quickly put a damper on her mood, effectively souring any activity she'd been content with engaging in prior.

She spent some time pacing in her room, annoyed and frustrated with herself and her inability to place the source of such agitated behaviour. It simply wasn't like her to act this way.

Raven would then try and seek the company of the other Titans, obviously looking to fill the void Changeling left her with whenever he was assigned a task-specific mission.

Although the others were often surprised to find Raven leaving the confines of her room to either partake in social activities, or merely watch, they never questioned her. Instead, they treated the occasion like a delight, more than accommodating when they had to be.

Still, it wasn't enough.

When the night winded down, and Richard and Kory were snuggled into the couch, whispering and giggling about a secret joke only the two of them shared, Raven felt a pang of jealousy.

Victor would opt to take Sarah home, and Donna would lead Roy into her room for the remainder of the night. Wally and Linda were typically nowhere to be found, usually having snuck off to a part of the Tower where they could be alone without anyone noticing.

Without Garfield, Raven was suddenly alone in what was otherwise a full house.

The aching and the yearning would suddenly be magnified, and his absence, which was already difficult to ignore, became that much more painfully felt.

She could almost see the ghost of him in his usual spot on the couch, giving her a lazy but charming grin from across the room, with a hint of mischief in his otherworldly eyes.

Except, the couch was empty, and the other half of her bed would remain cold and untouched when she slept.

Missing him _hurt_.

* * *

"Why are you packing?" She'd asked him when he'd come off a job working with the Justice League.

Raven lingered by his door frame, resting her side against the sturdy wall because she didn't trust her rampant emotions; not when her eyes, wide and panicking, observed the changeling gearing up to leave yet again. Not even a week he'd been back, and she had found him in his room, a small black suitcase on his bed while he dug through his drawers for the essentials.

A few pairs of clean boxers, his red and white uniform, a couple graphic tees, his most comfortable pair of grey sweatpants, a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a bar of his favourite soap that she often enjoyed smelling on his skin.

Garfield had looked up at her sudden appearance, astonished. He was quick to break into a soft smile that lit up his eyes, no doubt trying to appease her worries when he found her furrowing her brows. Somewhere, there was a hint of guilt in the jade pools of his irises.

"Got a gig up at Titans East. Dick wants me to spend some time training the newbies. I tried to turn him down, told him to find someone else, but he said the kids really like me. Something about being relatable, and knowing what a 'meme' is," he explained carefully, folding up a few articles of clothing still laying on his bed.

Raven tried to calm her erratic heart at the prospect of being separated from Garfield for an indefinite amount of time yet again.

It was ridiculous, her inexplicable and irrational fear, and she knew it.

She used to hate the way it made her feel weak; like, how she'd somehow come to rely on him. Of course, she eventually learned that such wasn't the case.

Raven didn't _need_ Changeling.

She _wanted_ him, and she was terrified of losing him. She was worried that one day, he'd wake up and realize how much better he could do; that she was more hassle than she was worth, and that Raven would never find it in her to prove him wrong.

As thoughts such as these swirled in her head, Garfield went on building his defense while skillfully avoiding her penetrating stare. "It's not permanent or anything, but I'll be up there for at least two weeks, maybe more, so I can feel out the kids and their abilities. Dick wants me to evaluate them and figure out which one would make a good leader for the new team." A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, accentuating the dimple on that side of his face. "I hear there's a new baby Robin who's feistier than all the others, and according to Dick, is quite a hothead. He already seems to think he's earned the title because of his lineage, but I think _I'll_ be the judge of that."

Raven wasn't really listening; quite frankly, she didn't care.

All this talk of Robins and new teams didn't interest her in the slightest. She was still stuck on the notion that he was _leaving_.

Again.

She'd only just gotten him back, and it frustrated her to no end that Richard kept finding tasks he felt only Garfield could accomplish.

She was, in some ways, happy and proud that their leader was finally seeing the potential she'd noted in the shapeshifter all along, but she also couldn't help the selfishness of her own desires.

"You're going. Just like that," Raven lamented, unable to prevent the creeping disappointment in her tone.

Garfield paused, and put down the colourful boxers he'd been folding. His expression changed, and suddenly he appeared exhausted, his smile and good cheer replaced with a more stoic demeanour. It aged him significantly, and Raven wondered when he'd accumulated the lines around his eyes and mouth.

With a heavy sigh, he tried to alleviate some of his girlfriend's concerns; "I'm sorry, Rae. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't want to ruin the mood."

She was trying so hard not to be angry with him. It was the situation, she told herself; it wasn't _his_ fault.

So then, why was she wanting to storm out of his room in a huff, never daring to look back, and convincing herself with the lie that she didn't care he'd be gone in the morning?

Internally, Raven was a bubble of conflicting emotions, each screaming at her to act on them.

Instead, the empath settled on doing nothing at all, the silence becoming a thick, choking cloud between her and the changeling.

Garfield slumped down onto his bed, taking in a deep, shaky breath, and exhaling through his nose. He ran his fingers through his unruly green hair. "Say something, Rae. _Please_. Talk to me," he pleaded.

"I don't know what you want me to say," she maintained rather hollowly, feeling like a stranger in her own body.

" _Anything_. Tell me what you're thinking."

They'd had this fight before; he was genuine in wishing to hear her thoughts and opinions, no matter if he didn't like or agree with them. Communication was not an aspect of their relationship he was willing to compromise on, and eventually, Raven learned to open up a little bit more.

Taking a deep breath, she chose her words carefully, bracing herself for what was to come. "I'm thinking I don't want you to go, Gar, but I have no way of stopping you, nor the right. I'm aware that it would be extremely selfish of me to even ask it of you," she confessed bitterly, her bottom lip quivering despite all her tight-lidded self control.

Garfield's eyes softened, the various shades of green both familiar and endless. They were always her weakness; even then, her knees felt like jelly. She had to avert her gaze.

"Raven…if you ask me now, you know I won't go…," he told her in a small whisper of a voice, folding his hands together because he didn't seem to know what else to do.

She could tell he was fighting the urge to get up and close the distance between them, but her closed off body language was hinting that his comforting embrace was the very last thing she wanted. Even if the opposite were true.

She shook her head, knowing the temptation of his offer, and what she was refusing. "I can't do that." She had to bite her lip to prevent her from saying yes. She was shaking from the willpower it took to not give in.

" _You can_ ," he urged, glancing up at her with sincerity in his glassy eyes. "I wouldn't be upset, nor would I blame you. Rae, I don't like being apart anymore than you do. I go out of my mind thinking about you." The painful honesty in his voice was nearly palpable.

"Then why are you always in such a hurry to get away from me?" Her voice cracked, and she had to monitor each shaky breath before her resolve crumbled completely. It was like a thin sheet of paper, holding a tidal wave at bay.

Raven couldn't help but feel like she'd somehow been reduced to a pathetic, snivelling child in that moment, and she soon came to regret her words.

Immediately, Garfield protested. "I'm not! I'm doing this _because_ of you. You saw potential in me when no one else did, not even myself. I want to live up to that expectation…" He took a second to gather his bearings, raw emotion rolling off him in waves. Then, in a quieter voice, he added; "I want to be good enough for you…"

Anger and rage were always the emotions Raven had the hardest time keeping under control.

"What in the world would make you think that _you_ aren't good enough for _me_?" she snapped, but her intimidation had long since lost its touch with the changeling.

"Look at you!" he motioned his hands in her direction, "You're incredible! You're powerful, crazy smart, super attractive, and the bravest person I know. Me? I'm some weird looking green dude with pointy ears and a shit tonne of baggage. What the heck do I bring to the table?" He didn't wait for her to give him an answer; instead, he filled in the blanks for her, hanging his head low; "Nothing; the answer is nothing, Rae. I'm no Nightwing. I'm no Cyborg. I'm no Kid Flash. My whole life, I've been a follower, not a leader, and I was perfectly okay with that until…until _you_ helped me realize that I could be _more_."

When he stared up at her with a newfound determination lurking in the shadows of his face, he said; "That's why I'm doing this, even if it means being away from you. I'm willing to make that sacrifice, but only if I have your blessing."

Raven somehow found the courage to then move towards him, her arms folded over her chest, and on the verge of falling apart. "You're an _idiot_ if you think you have something to prove to me, Gar," she seethed, her eyes becoming narrow, violet slits in his direction. "But if you think I'm going to stop you, you're in for disappointment," she informed him coldly.

He'd stood up to his full height somewhere in the middle of her tirade, and Raven had jabbed the point of her index finger into his chest while she spoke.

Garfield did not look angry or upset by her words in the slightest; if anything, he appeared distraught and forlorn, an unbidden longing she could easily recognize lurking in his verdant gaze. "Raven…please. I don't want to spend tonight arguing. I'm leaving in the morning, and I just want a relaxing evening with my girlfriend," he implored her.

Raven's bottom lip jutted out in defiance, her anger and pride getting the better of her. "Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you agreed to _this_ ," she snapped, her gravelly voice gaining an icy edge.

With that, Raven spun on her heel, and made to storm out of his room, no longer wishing to draw out the argument any further.

More than anything, she wanted him to stop her.

More than anything, she wanted him to grab her by the arm and pull her into his chest, holding her until the morning light peeked through his curtains.

Tears burned the backs of her eyes when she quickly realized that Garfield would not be putting up a fight.

She knew, come morning, she would regret her decision. Raven would berate herself for squandering what precious little time she had with the man she loved, all because she was far too stubborn to back down.

She was nothing if not proud.

When Raven had finally reached her room, she'd slammed the door shut behind her, and flung herself onto her bed, muffling a frustrated scream into her pillow.

A part of her was fighting tooth and nail, telling her to go back to him, to apologize and make things right before it was too late. It was telling her to spend the night tucked into his side, with nothing but the sheets to shield them from the cold that would seep in from the open window.

Raven felt sick to her stomach. She was so irrevocably torn, it was making her nauseous. She needed to get away from the Tower; away from _him_ before she would succumb to her weaker instincts, and find herself standing outside his door.

She also didn't want to worry her other teammates; she hated discussing the more intimate details of her private life with anyone who wasn't directly involved.

So, that night, Raven opened her window and stole away into the chill of the crisp autumn air, leaving her bedroom light off but keeping her door locked.

She didn't really know where she would go, and she didn't really care, but the cool, brisk wind against her face was helping to clear her head, and maybe, just maybe, she'd stop thinking of a certain green-skinned boy…

* * *

"So, uh, where's Raven? Did she sleep in or something?" Richard joked, sparing Garfield a teasing smile.

Starfire nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. "Ow! What'd you do that for?!" He exclaimed, recoiling from the flame-haired alien beauty as she fixed him with an angry green glare.

Changeling sighed deeply at the mention of the empath, his smile quickly turning into an unsettled frown. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark circles beneath them, while his cheekbones looked pale and gaunt compared to the rest of him. Anyone could tell he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. However, no one had the courage to bring up the obvious reason why. Except for Nightwing, of course. It had merely been an attempt at light conversation, but Dick was also a bit worried at the empath's absence.

"It's all right, Star. He didn't mean anything by it," Garfield excused their leader before bending down to pick up the stuffed backpack resting against the wall.

Richard's rather expressive eyes stared quizzically at his girlfriend, and then at the other Titans gathered about the entrance to the elevator. He scratched the back of his head, and in a gentle voice, asked, "Uh…did you two get into a fight or something?"

This time, Donna was the one to nudge him, giving him a pointed look when he caught her eye. "What? It's a legitimate question, and as team leader, I have the right to know."

Garfield adjusted the blue ball cap he was wearing. "Something like that, yeah. Anyways, you can ask Raven about it later if you want, but I'm going to miss the shuttle if I don't get a move on here. So, how about a quick group hug?"

Despite his lowered spirits, Changeling forced a toothy grin, even though it didn't quite reach his eyes. Once the backpack and duffel bags were all slung over his shoulders, he opened his arms wide in the direction of his friends as an invitation.

All the Titans were watching him with evident concern, hesitant to make a move under such awkward circumstances.

It was Kory who stepped up first, her enigmatic smile splitting her face as she attempted to lead the rest of them through the strained, uncomfortable moment. "Don't let Damian boss you around too much," she teased, squeezing him against her in a fierce embrace.

Garfield could barely breathe in her iron clad grip, and he could have sworn the taller woman had practically lifted him off the ground. "Star…I'll…miss you, too…," he wheezed.

Slowly, the others came around, as well.

Wally.

Roy.

Donna.

Dick.

Victor.

Each took their turn saying their farewells, and imparting a few words of encouragement.

"Don't you worry; I'm sure she'll come around," Donna spoke into his ear during their embrace, her voice warm and melodic.

Garfield rubbed her lower back gently, and mouthed a quick thank you. She winked. "You know I'm on your side, Gar. I'll see what I can do to help," Donna imparted before stepping away.

"Why's everyone actin' like you ain't comin' back? There something you aren't telling me?" Victor teased, pulling his friend into a tight squeeze, and clapping his shoulder with the mighty force of his robotic arm.

"Oof!" he exclaimed against the surprise power of his friend's gesture. "It's just for a little while, Vic. Not to worry; they've got a Game Station over there, so you can bet your butt I plan to be kicking it online, tin man!"

Victor rolled his human eye. "In your dreams, grass stain," he rebutted, but the smile on his face made the comment far less threatening. "Seriously though, be sure to check in while you're there."

Garfield nodded.

Roy, Dick, and Wally all gave the changeling firm handshakes instead of hugs, claiming that he'd be back before they even knew he was gone.

"Take care out there. You know the protocol; I'll be needing regular updates at the end of every day," Dick reminded him, but they'd already done the briefing earlier in the week, and Garfield had ensured he'd brought along all his notes and files. Richard then broke into a playful grin. "Above all, don't be afraid to have some fun. All work and no play will only make those kids cranky, and I wouldn't want them taking that out on you, Gar. Some of them can be quite vicious when angry."

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind," he replied uncertainly.

Once all was said and done, Garfield still lingered just a little bit longer, shuffling his feet anxiously, and knowing in his heavy heart that he'd feel awful for not getting to see Raven before he left.

Not getting to hug her or hold her.

Not getting to _kiss_ her…

Their parting kisses were always the most profound, and when he'd asked her, in between playful nips, why she was so hesitant to let him go, she'd answered with emotion brimming in her infinite eyes, "What if…what if it's the last time?" He'd answered her with his hungry mouth on hers; in their line of work, that would always be a reality…

With that in the back of his mind, it was clear why he chose to wait by the elevator doors, just for a few seconds more…

Garfield had spent the majority of the previous night tossing and turning, thinking about her whereabouts after he'd found her dark bedroom empty, the window left wide open.

He _could_ have gone looking for her, he knew that, and briefly, he'd toyed with the idea. However, he'd quickly surmised that if she was upset enough with him that she couldn't stand being under the same roof, it was probably a better idea to give Raven her highly coveted 'space'.

The silence that had settled amongst the group as they all no doubt felt the missing presence of their final teammate, was suffocating.

Garfield took in a deep breath after swallowing the lump in his throat, and finally decided to stop prolonging the inevitable. He'd have been lying if he said it didn't hurt like hell itself had scathed his skin with fire. "Well, guess this is goodbye for now. See you guys in a-…"

 _Ding._

The chime from the elevator effectively cut off the changeling mid sentence, and drew all attention to the giant metal doors.

They came open slowly just as Garfield had worked up the nerve to turn around, his breath caught in his throat and his heartbeat soaring. The hope he didn't realize he was holding onto made him both giddy and jittery at the same time.

"Raven…," Wally echoed her name as the dark empath emerged from beyond the opened elevator doors.

She looked frazzled, her dark hair windswept and messy. her violet eyes were wide, darting about the room, and taking in all the shocked expressions before her. If they listened carefully, they'd all have heard the heavy thrum of her heart as her pulse bounded. She'd evidently rushed to get there.

Finally, when her gaze fell on Garfield, it remained there for a while yet, unreadable, and impassive.

He held her stare, unblinking, and not knowing quite what to do.

He didn't even know how to react.

Garfield was having a difficult time trying to decipher Raven's emotions; her face was a blank slate, as it always was whenever she didn't wish for others to reconcile her thoughts and feelings.

However, before he even had the chance to formulate any words, Raven's mouth became a tight line, her nostrils flared, and her eyes were suddenly like amethyst and steel. She crossed the distance between them in a few simple strides, grabbed a fistful of the material of his shirt, and pulled his mouth down to hers in a crushing kiss.

Garfield blinked in surprise at her emboldened actions, all the while the other Titans either gaped at the young couple, cleared their throat, or snickered under their breath.

It was never like Raven to willingly engage in public displays of affection. Especially such a heated, passionate kiss.

" _What if it's the last time…?"_

Her lips were warm and soft beneath his own, and he knew from the gentle hum coming from her throat, that she was one moment away from slipping her coy tongue into his mouth.

Eventually, Garfield fell into her touch, not caring for his teammates' brazen staring or ogling. His eyelids fell closed, and his hands came up to her arms before he stepped closer towards her, bridging the small space between their bodies. The feeling of her mouth under his was like oxygen to a drowning man; he'd never known how much he'd missed it, craved it, _needed_ it, until it was gone. He breathed her in deeply through his nose, relishing in the way every curve of her body felt against his. Raven's hands then travelled up his chest and over his broad shoulders, until her fingers found the fine hairs at the back of his neck.

"I thought he said something about missing his shuttle," Roy muttered under his breath.

Wally shook his head, chuckling to himself before dragging a surprised and annoyed Harper after him by the collar of his shirt. "Time to leave the happy couple alone, guys," he ordered casually.

Dick nervously scratched at his earlobe before turning to walk away. Victor just threw his head back and laughed before leaving the foyer as well.

Donna and Kory smirked, clearly enjoying the show until Nightwing poked his head back in, and stared accusingly at them. "Ladies, didn't you have a thing you needed to do?"

"What thing?" Kory blinked, perplexed.

Wonder Girl kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes before tangling her arm with her friend's and pulling her away, muttering under her breath; "Party pooper."

When the room was all clear of fellow Titans save for two, Beast Boy and Raven finally parted for air, resting their foreheads against one another. "I thought I was going to miss you," he crooned, still somewhat winded from their deeply passionate kissing frenzy.

"You almost did…" She rubbed the nub of her nose against his. " _I_ almost did," Raven quickly amended.

"I'm glad you made it," Garfield confessed, unable to suppress a smile. "I promise I'll skype you, or something, as often as I can."

The sorceress shook her head briefly; "Hush, it doesn't matter right now…I don't want to fight. Let me have one more minute with you, like this…"

Without waiting for a response, she leaned into his mouth yet again, and his hands moved to her waist, pulling her tightly against him, welcoming the tender embrace of her lips…

* * *

 _-FIN_


	7. May 05: Casual Love & Marriage

BBRae Week: Day 5

 _ **Casual Love vs Marriage**_

Friday nights were drinking nights.

No matter how busy their lives got, or how complicated, that was never likely to change, and it was something the group was rather vigilant on.

It had been a year that Kory and Richard were married, and the crew wanted to do something big for their best friends, to help celebrate when they got back from their anniversary getaway.

They'd made reservations at the couple's favourite bar, invited everyone that had ever befriended them, and pooled in some hard-earned cash to buy out most the beer and liquor the place served.

Raven, Terra, and Karen had volunteered to show up early and put up a few decorations before anyone got there. Luckily, the original gang had spent so much time and money at this bar, that the owner had virtually no qualms with helping them out, especially when they'd often left him and his staff a generous tip by the end of every night.

It also helped that their presence, being former Teen Titans, drove in revenue and attention to the otherwise quiet establishment. It was always a full house any Friday the team decided to hit it up for their weekly drinking and socializing festivities.

"You know, it doesn't look too shabby," Victor had remarked when he'd stepped into the closed off area of the bar the girls had been decorating. His mechanical fingers rubbed at his chin as he contemplated the room around him.

"You say that like you almost expected it to look like shit," Terra scoffed, folding her arms over her chest.

This resulted in a coy smirk from the cybernetic man. "Not for anything, but I didn't figure you or Raven for the decoratin' type," he answered rather brazenly, shrugging.

The geomancer rolled her eyes while Raven cleared her throat. Karen took it upon herself to respond before the others could; "What the heck is that supposed to mean? Do I look like some kind of interior designer?"

Cyborg was impassive when he spoke. "I'm just sayin', Rae hated decorating the Tower for birthdays, and Terra tries, but it ends up looking tacky and out of place."

"How about, next time, _you_ volunteer, then?" Terra jabbed him with a finger in his solid metal chest, glaring heatedly up at him.

"Hey, it isn't my fault Starfire and Beast Boy loved overseeing all that stuff. Who am I to take away their happiness?" Raven defended herself.

"Speaking of which, where is green bean, Rae?" Victor quickly changed the subject, opting to ignore the five-foot-tall blonde girl currently giving him a dirty look.

The empath shrugged casually. "I don't know. I'm still waiting on permission to have that tracker installed, Cy," she teased, a playful smile gracing her painted lips.

"Why didn't he want to help decorate the place?" Cyborg pressed, ignoring Raven's subtle jab.

Terra snickered. "Isn't it obvious? He was intimidated."

"What? By three girls?" Karen queried, a single brow raised suspiciously at the petite girl next to her.

Raven sighed deeply, growing aggravated and bored by the conversation. "He said he was picking up a cake for the occasion. He also knew that if he tagged along, I'd just end up doing nothing, and instead, make him do all the parts I was assigned, anyways. Said something about this experience being good for me or whatever," she explained with a disinterested expression, choosing to examine the condition of her nailbeds rather than look at any of her former comrades.

Terra chuckled. "Sounds like Beast Boy, all right," she commented.

Victor shook his head in disappointment. "Bet you still didn't contribute much, did you, Rae?"

"I put up some streamers." The empath indicated the ceiling where a few red and blue paper decorations were dangling, kept in position by a few pieces of clear tape at their base.

"Uh…good job?" Cyborg said, somewhat confused by how little effort was made.

"Thanks," she replied dryly, moving towards the bar where she'd left her beer, and proceeding to take a refreshing swig from the cold, sweating, amber bottle.

"Grab one for me?" Terra asked before joining her on a stool.

The empath obliged, and handed the younger girl a can fresh from the cooler, using her dark energy to crack open the top.

"So, when's everyone getting here?" Karen asked Victor, turning to adjust the position of a few balloons.

He glanced at the ancient clock hanging on the wall. "Should be about now. Star and 'Wing won't be here for another hour or so. I told them to come a bit later than usual, since they're probably jet lagged, and it gives everyone else some time to show up," he explained.

Raven took another healthy gulp from her beer. "Well, I'm starting the drinking early tonight. Wally's got a bad habit of clearing out all the alcohol, and I'm not missing out this time."

Terra smirked, motioning her beverage in the empath's direction. "I always figured you hated the taste of this stuff, Raven," she commented.

"I do," the sorceress agreed gruffly, scrunching up her nose in distaste. "But I helped pay for it, so I'm going to have some. Besides, tonight is about celebrating. What sort of friend would I be if I didn't participate? I'll get over the awful taste soon enough."

With that said, both Karen and Victor joined the two girls with beverages of their own, and the four of them clinked their drinks together in a toast.

"To Kory and Dick," Victor said.

"To a successful night of getting shitfaced," Terra added.

"To Raven getting off her ass and helping decorate," teased Karen, staring at the accused with a mocking grin.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and most importantly, cheers to the Teen Titans who, for all intents and purposes, are no longer _teens_."

"Amen to that," Cyborg agreed, and they all took a drink.

* * *

By midnight, the place was a zoo.

The blaring music from the speakers made the walls shake and the wooden floors thump. Conversation was abuzz, and there was hardly room to move; everyone was drinking, laughing, and having a generally good time.

Both Kory and Richard had been pleasantly surprised when they'd arrived on the scene, delighted that all of their friends had made it out to see them and wish them well. Donna had managed to get her hands on a pair of plastic crowns, one for the new bride and one for her blushing husband. While Starfire gladly donned hers, Donna had to beat Dick in an arm wrestling match to get him to wear his. The shiny, tacky, golden thing sitting lopsided on his head was proof of her victory.

By midnight, everyone was quite drunk, or in the least, tipsy.

"That cake better not be vegan, Gar," Vic slurred, the drink in his hand sloshing about in the cup.

Beast Boy winked. "I'm not tellin'." His smile widened at Victor's incredulous expression.

"How about a top-up, sweetie?" The bartender, a cute vixen with strawberry blonde hair, came by their side of the table, and filled up Garfield's empty glass, purposely leaning down so that her already low-cut shirt hung open enough to display her rather impressive cleavage, and lacy push-up bra.

The changeling burned a shade of crimson, and he couldn't tell if his face was warm from the alcohol or something else entirely. "Th-thanks," he gulped, catching the glint of her blue eyes.

She winked, and smiled at him. "Anything for you, Beast Boy."

Victor burped unceremoniously, interrupting the tension, and the bartender giggled. "My bad. You two havin' a moment?" he mocked.

Garfield narrowed his eyes at his best friend. " _Dude_!"

"What I miss?"

Suddenly, a _very_ intoxicated empath had sauntered over behind them, leaning her elbow against Cyborg's shoulder as she looked between the three of them. Her eyes were glazed over, and appeared droopier than they normally did.

"Holy shit! You're drunk!" Garfield cried out, swivelling his chair to get a better look at her.

She hiccupped, and her head lolled to the side. "So? I did shots with Kory and Donna. A friendly piece of advice; never challenge an alien to a drinking competition. You will _not_ win," she slurred, slightly swaying.

Raven then glanced over at the bartender before leaning in towards her, and squinting at her name tag. " _Cher-yl_ ," she pronounced with immense difficulty. "Pretty name for a pretty girl. I hope these two punks aren't giving you any hassle, Ms. Cheryl."

"Oi! I wasn't doin' nothin'! Grass stain's the one can't keep it in his pants," Victor retaliated, his words still jumbled.

He then immediately clasped his hand against his mouth in stupefied shock, his human eye going wide in terror as he realized his error.

Garfield blanched, and the bartender cleared her throat, shyly tucking a stray curl behind her ear.

Raven stared at the cybernetic man, her expression indiscernible.

She blinked once, slowly. "What?"

Raven then snapped her head in the changeling's direction, who looked like he was either ready to bolt out of the bar, or shrink into an insect. Anything to escape her scrutinizing, violet stare.

"D-don't listen to him. Cheryl was just getting me a refill, and being friendly. Nothing happened. _Nothing_ ," he tried to insist, his voice cracking.

Somewhere, a balloon or two popped of their own volition.

Raven's mouth curved into a smile, but there was something sinister about the way her expression darkened.

"Rae, y-you really ought to stop drinking; your powers…," Garfield choked, watching the corner of the bar where Jinx shrieked in surprise as a balloon popped right behind her.

"This seat taken?" Raven ignored Beast Boy's concerns, and pointed at the stool he was seated in.

She didn't wait for a response. "Good." She then took her spot on his lap, much to the shapeshifter's surprise.

She settled into him so that one of his legs was between her thighs, and pushed herself directly against his crotch. " _Nnnn, Rae_!" he groaned helplessly as she shimmied into him.

"Excuse me, I'm just trying to get comfortable here," she informed him dryly, before leaning in to prop up her elbows on the bar counter, purposely arching her back like a cat. Her form fitting black shirt rode up to reveal the pale skin of her lower back, her position accentuating the dimples just above the hem of her skirt.

"You like the colour green, Cheryl? Is it your favourite colour?" Raven asked the nervous girl standing in front of her.

"Uh, I should probably attend to the other guests…," she replied meekly, her eyes darting over at the other end of the bar anxiously.

"Nonsense. Stay a while. We're talking," Raven ordered with a wave of her hand.

Cheryl froze, uncertain, especially considering the empath's notorious abilities. She was easily one of the most powerful of the bunch; that much was a fact.

Intoxicated?

She was even _scarier_.

"Uhm…I guess I like the colour well enough," Cheryl gulped, fidgeting with the clean glassware and dish cloth in her hands.

Raven's lips curved into an amused smile. "Cute nose ring, by the way. I've been thinking of getting one myself," the empath noted, pointing sloppily at the silver jewelry sitting against the side of the girl's freckled nose.

"Rae, what are you doing?" Garfield squeaked from behind her, still very much uncomfortable with her suggestive position on his lap. She wiggled against him in response, causing him to throw his head back and bite down on his bottom lip, supressing a groan.

Victor watched the exchange fervently, unable to look away from the impending train wreck of a situation.

Raven smirked, swirling the straw in Beast Boy's drink and moving the ice around in the glass. "Was he your favourite Titan? It's okay; you can be honest with me, Cheryl. I promise, I won't be offended."

Cheryl blushed, averting her gaze to the floor while she nervously twirled a piece of hair around her index finger. The flush of her skin brought out the pigmentation of the freckles that dotted her cheeks. "Uh, well…yeah, I guess he was. I've always been an animal lover, so, naturally, I was drawn to him. It probably doesn't help that he's also awfully… _cute_."

Victor's jaw dropped, looking between the two females like they'd somehow sprouted a fifth limb.

Garfield croaked from behind Raven; "D-did she just call me… _cute_?"

"Mhm, I agree. He's adorable," Raven nodded in agreement, turning to acknowledge the changeling with another chilling smile. There was something possessive and dangerous lurking in her darkening stare.

Her fingers were then suddenly in his hair, ruffling it about as she stroked the silken, green waves lovingly. "I can't blame you for flirting with him every Friday night we're in here, or slipping him your number when you thought no one was looking."

Beast Boy gulped, staring up into Raven's chilling amethyst irises, trying to get a better read on the unpredictable girl's emotions. "Rae, I wasn't going to call her. I wasn't." He shook his head desperately, his hands coming up to grip her hips.

Raven used a single index finger to stroke a line down the side of his cheek to the curve of his jaw, until she reached the dip of his chin, where she lingered. "I know," she started, cocking her head to the side, "If you did, I'd have filed for a divorce yesterday, Gar."

It was as if a tsunami of ice cold water had suddenly pummelled all the participants currently following the exchange, minus the empath herself.

"Did she just…when did you…is this a _joke_? _Did Raven just say divorce_?!" Victor sputtered, the current realization somewhat helping to sober him up.

Cheryl went as white as a ghost, her eyes widening in horror. "Oh…oh my, God. I-I didn't know, I swear! Everyone said you two were just casual…I'd never have…," she gasped, nearly letting the glass drop from her grasp.

The empath turned on her, a menacing sneer contorting her features. "Well, now you know, so _quit_ trying to sleep with my husband, lady!" Raven hiccupped, fixing an icy, violet glare at the unsuspecting girl behind the counter, her nostrils flaring. She'd also slammed her fist against the bar table, and Cheryl had flinched at the sudden thud.

Just like that, Raven's previous, easy-going demeanour had been replaced with scathing fury, and it sent the girl scurrying away from their end of the bar, not daring to look back.

"There. Problem solved," Raven stated easily, her anger dissipating the moment Cheryl had scampered away. The empath watched her flee with bored indifference, and nearly trip on the other bartenders in her haste.

She then pouted when she'd glanced down at Garfield's hand, her brows furrowed. "Well, almost."

Raven then grabbed his right hand, and proceeded to remove the simple, thick, silver band from his index finger. Once off, she then took his left hand, and slipped it over his marriage finger. " _Now_ it's solved," she echoed proudly, patting his hand between her own.

The changeling clicked his tongue, shaking his head. His eyes never left her face. "You are _so_ going to regret this in the morning, Rae," Garfield warned through gritted teeth once he'd found his voice again.

She shrugged it off. "That's what you said in Vegas, too." She pulled up her own right hand and removed one of the many varying rings that covered her fingers, glittering in the dim light.

The one she was looking for was a simple, thin, white-gold band, with a lovely violet stone set between a few smaller clusters of diamonds around it. She put it on her left finger to match Beast Boy's, and held it up to examine from a distance. "Still married, Gar," she reminded him casually.

Victor slammed his beverage against the counter, the drink splashing all over his robotic hand. "You have to be _shitting_ me! You two got married in Vegas?!"

Garfield sighed, and rubbed at his pulsing temple. "…Yeah. It was during the bachelor and bachelorette parties we had for Dick and Kory…," he admitted in a low voice. "We didn't want to steal their thunder, so…we sort of kept it a secret."

" _For a year_?!" Victor cried out incredulously, drawing the attention of a few nearby Titans.

Beast Boy grimaced, wary of the sudden eyes on them now. Raven continued to toy with Garfield's hair, ignoring everything else around her but the softness of the short strands between her fingers.

"It's…it's complicated," he mouthed, hoping to change the topic.

"Like hell it is! You guys got married, and what?! Just figured it was clever to not tell anyone?!"

"Dude, can you keep it down?!"

"Wait, what? Beast Boy and Raven got married? When? How? Is this a prank, Gar?" Richard's voice entered the fray as he sidled up next to his former teammates, wearing a lazy smile. His striking eyes were half-lidded, a clear sign of all the alcohol he'd consumed.

The changeling groaned, and rubbed his palm down his face.

Once Dick spotted the rings, his eyes widened, and his mouth became a tight line. "Shit, you weren't kidding…"

"I thought you guys were just having sex," Kory pointed out blatantly, grabbing Raven's hand to examine the shining, glittering rock.

"Don't worry; we still do a lot of that," Raven blurted out, much to the mortification of the shapeshifter underneath her.

"You assholes got married and didn't invite any of us to the wedding?!" Terra exclaimed, thumping the changeling on the back hard enough to send him forward.

He waved his hands in protest. "It isn't like that! We didn't really have a…wedding. It was sort of done on impulse, as a _joke_ ," he explained hurriedly.

Donna eyed the ring on Raven's finger with a raised brow. "Did you spend money on those as a joke, too?"

"Of course not!" Beast Boy exclaimed in earnest.

"So, at what point did it stop being funny? When did you two nerds fall in love?" Jinx teased.

Raven took the opportunity to nestle her head against Beast Boy's chest, running her hand along the taught muscles of his torso before embracing him. "Who cares? I have a husband now…"

This earned her a genuine smile from Garfield, and she closed her eyes while snuggling further into him.

"Aww, this is so cute, I think I'm going to hurl," Roy mocked, clutching at the spot just over his heart.

Richard grinned. "I think this calls for a celebration. A round of drinks for everyone in honour of the newlyweds!" he shouted over at the bartenders.

The group cheered, except for Victor.

"I can't believe you kept this from me, B," the older man said in astonishment, shaking his head in disappointment.

The changeling appeared genuinely apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I had to respect her wishes, man. We weren't even sure what we were doing…Or _why_ , for that matter…," Garfield stated with sincerity and genuine sympathy.

The empath stirred in the shapeshifter's arms. "Relax, Vic. You're practically a shoe-in for best man," Raven muttered, her eyes still shut.

This effectively left Cyborg completely stunned, his mouth agape. When he looked to Beast Boy for answers, all the shapeshifter could do was shrug and grin, to which his elated best friend shouted out a loud; " _Booyah_!"

"So, there will be a wedding, then?" Wally waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the couple.

Beast Boy flushed, scratching at the side of his head while averting his gaze to the ground. It didn't help that he was still somewhat inebriated because of the copious amounts of alcohol he'd consumed.

"I…uh…well, you see…," he floundered, unsure of how to proceed.

Neither him or Raven had truly discussed the idea of an actual wedding ceremony, and they'd both agreed that they would always consider the other's opinion before making any rash decisions that involved them both.

There was no doubt in his mind that this delicate topic happened to be one of those issues.

"We'll have a stupid wedding," Raven blurted out suddenly. As she opened her eyes to regard everyone staring at her with bemused expressions, she felt the urge to add, "What? I want to wear a nice dress."

Kory giggled. "Raven, I don't think I've ever seen you this intoxicated."

Dick passed the drinks around before raising his new bottle of beer and exclaiming rather boisterously, "To Raven and Garfield!"

Everyone else also raised their drinks, and chanted a similar mantra before taking a long swig of their beverage.

As a very drunk empath proceeded to tuck herself into Garfield's chest, her fingers clutching at the material of his shirt, the changeling ran his fingers gently through her short, violet hair, and smiled fondly at her peaceful expression.

It had been strange, how they'd gone from a friends-with-benefits situation to husband and wife in a few short years.

When they'd first started sleeping together, Raven had made it abundantly clear that it was all she wanted from him, and that he was a free man in terms of dating other girls. However, somehow, they had found themselves in a relationship that neither had wanted to label as something more than friendship.

They went to see movies together, spent time together, had dinner together, and were frequently texting and messaging throughout the day.

Despite knowing that they had the freedom to be seeing other people, neither of them ever really did, and then, Raven had randomly suggested that they get married.

For fun, of course.

They'd been laying on the hotel bed in Vegas, bored out of their minds when she'd casually brought it up.

Just to pull a fast one on their friends.

It was supposed to have been funny, to see their reactions.

The pair even went out and bought rings, with the full intent of returning them once the gag had run its course.

Except, they never _did_ tell any of their teammates, they never went back to the jewelry store, and they never did get around to that divorce. It was as if they'd merely forgotten about it, and when the days turned into weeks, and then into months…

It didn't matter anymore.

They were blissfully happy, and had, at some point, accepted that this time, maybe their friends were right; maybe they were always meant to fall in love.

* * *

 _-FIN_


	8. May 06: Beach & Rainy Days

BBRae Week: Day 6

 _ **Beach vs Rainy Days**_

* * *

Garfield Logan could pinpoint the exact moment in which he fell in love with Raven.

It hadn't been like anything the books or the movies quite described. It hadn't even been anything like what he'd experienced before.

The feeling had come sudden and strange, both foreign and familiar, as if it had been but a shadow, clinging to his heart all along. His feelings were a genuine paradox, but he couldn't have been any more certain. If anything, he should have berated himself for taking so long in the first place.

She'd stood in the centre of it all, oblivious to every living thing around her, including him.

The rain came down from the heavens in angry sheets, the thunder roaring through the darkening sky. Lightning crackled in the distance, illuminating the encroaching bleakness of the day. The black clouds rolled in, hovering precariously over the roiling waters. Wave after crashing wave, matching the quickening of his own pulse.

It was the thunderstorm, as predicted, with the two of them caught in its menacing winds. The same winds that had effectively ruined Beast Boy's weekend trip he'd so meticulously planned. He'd never have thought it would also have been responsible for such a wonderful discovery. It was like inhaling the first breath of a crisp, winter day; an icy, cold shock to the system.

The difference was, he hadn't minded in the slightest…

* * *

"You have to make the best of it," she'd told him, but not without sympathy. "Moping around won't change anything."

Beast Boy groaned loudly, flopping down onto her bed in dramatic fashion, arms and legs spread-eagle. A bit of his shirt rode up to reveal his toned, green abdomen, and he rubbed a hand along the curves of the taut muscles subconsciously.

" _Four days_! Four days of constant rain, Rae! It's like the weather gods were pulling my leg just for fun," he whined, staring up at the cabin ceiling, disheartened.

The fan blades moved slowly overhead, and he tried to focus on them instead of his drearier thoughts. If he let himself, he could have cried, but the last thing he wanted to do was let Raven see him so emotional. She'd probably only think he was overreacting, anyways.

Beast Boy had spent months planning the extravagant summer trip for his teammates. Booking a highly-coveted cabin located right by the water meant that he had to be early with reserving it, especially during a long weekend in July. It was supposed to be sunny and warm this time of year, and with the sandy beach literally just outside their doorstep, nothing was supposed to ruin the fun.

Garfield had envisioned beach volleyball, swimming, tanning, barbecues, hikes, and late night drinking parties out on the patio by the fire pit.

However, not a moment after they'd arrived, so had the clouds.

"I could have handled one day, maybe even two. But the entire weekend? What the heck are we supposed to do when most of the activities require being _outside_? This whole trip was a giant waste," he continued to gripe, growing more frustrated with every passing second.

Raven closed the heavy book she was reading, and placed it on the side table next to her. "Beast Boy, everyone is having a good time except for you," Raven informed him, folding her arms over her chest and fixing him with a worried, purple stare.

He grunted. "Star and Dick are treating this like a romantic getaway, Cy started talking to this girl staying at the lodge over, and now he's never around, and you spend all day reading, Rae," he pointed out.

Raven pursed her lips, her brows furrowing. "Kory and Richard have hardly had any time to themselves, Gar. Especially when he's busy running around as Nightwing these days. As for Vic's new friend, have you even met the girl? She's there leading a retreat for a group of kids with prosthetic limbs," Raven explained.

There was a lump in his throat that was a sure sign of his impending guilt, but Garfield was feeling down on himself and no amount of logic was going to make that go away. The rain poured heavy against the windows, and thunder could be heard plundering in the distance.

"Well then, what about you? Back at the tower, all you ever did was read," he pressed, sounding petulant even to his own ears.

Raven seemed a bit caught off guard by his accusation, and a subtle look of surprise crossed her features before she could mask the emotion completely. She averted her gaze to the ground, feeling very much like she'd been put on the spot. "I…I like the rain, actually," she confessed, self-conscious.

Beast Boy sat up on the bed, cocking his head to the side as he examined the peculiar empath with a growing curiosity. "Really?"

She nodded once, and then looked fondly over at the window, where the gentle pitter patter of the slowing storm could still be heard rapping against the glass. "It's comforting, and somewhat serene, don't you think?"

Garfield rolled his eyes. "Not really. Not when I could be outside, sipping rum from a coconut, and showing off the summer bod to cute girls in bikinis."

Raven's expression soured, the dream-like look in her eyes replaced with the familiar hardness the changeling was more accustomed to.

"Maybe if you were less into the superficial things of life, and more appreciative of the finer details, you'd enjoy yourself a bit more, Gar," she implored him.

"Yeah, well, if you love the rain so damn much, why don't you just go outside and see how great it is for yourself, Rae?" he snapped back, not in the mood for one her lectures that evening.

He flopped back down onto the bed, a scowl on his youthful features. It was never a wise idea to try and contain someone with as much energy in their system as Beast Boy had.

The old clock ticked on gently in the background.

 _Tick._

 _Tock._

 _Tick._

 _Tock…_

He waited for the comeback; waited for her to lash out after he'd been so cruel as to take out some of his frustrations on her. However, it didn't come, and the clock sang its boring tune instead, the loudest thing in the room.

Raven stared longingly out the window, at the lovely, misty view of the beach, so bleak and grey and foggy. The waves crashed against the shore, the golden sand appearing more ashen without the tender love and care from the sun. She stared, and sighed hopelessly.

By the time Beast Boy sat up again, the empath was gone.

* * *

"Has anyone seen friend Raven?" Starfire was the first to acknowledge the lack of a darker presence among the group at the dinner table.

The Titans had gathered together for a meal in the cozy cottage, all the while the blustering winds from the storm continued to howl outside their walls. Richard, Victor, Kory, and Garfield had been sitting around the dining table, ready to dig into the dishes that Cyborg had conjured. Until, of course, it was all brought to a halt by the alien princess' observation. She stared openly at the empty chair next to her.

Like magnets, the other Titans' eyes followed hers, drawn to the spot Raven would have been otherwise seated.

Richard scratched at the light stubble on his chin. "I knocked on her bedroom door earlier, and she didn't answer. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen her around the cabin at all today."

"I was busy in the kitchen, figured she was with one of you," Victor shrugged.

Kory shook her head. "I have not seen friend Raven since the morning at breakfast."

Garfield yawned. "Maybe she went outside or something," he deduced in a bored tone.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "In this weather?" He indicated the persistent rain furiously tapping against their windows.

"Hey, you're the detective, not me," Garfield replied, raising his arms in defense.

Their leader put down his fork and sighed, staring down at his empty plate. "We need to go look for her," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Agreed," Starfire seconded in earnest.

"Vic, you stay here in case she comes back. I'll look through the house and surrounding area. Star, you can fly out to town and see if she's in the marketplace. Gar, can you check out the beach?" Richard dictated, standing up to his full height as his chair scraped against the wood tiles of the floor.

Beast Boy slumped back in his seat, a souring look on his youthful features. "The beach? Why would she be on the beach?"

"I don't know, but we need to cover all our bases, in case something's gone wrong here," Dick explained, making to grab his rain coat as Starfire, too, stood up.

"I'll hang around, make sure to keep the food warm," Victor added somewhat dejectedly, covering the various dishes with lids to prevent the heat from escaping. "If she comes back, I'll buzz."

Beast Boy stared down at his casual summer clothes consisting of a plain white t-shirt and cropped denim shorts that hit just above his knees. "Guess I gotta change," he noted with a frown.

He'd been looking forward to not having to wear his uniform around all the time, and he would be damned if the rain took even that simple pleasure away from him. However, if he was going to turn into a mud crab or a fish, it probably wouldn't help Raven any if he transformed back entirely nude.

"We will make haste, Beast Boy. I do not wish to stay out in this weather any longer than is necessary." Starfire tried to lighten the mood, and fixed the green shapeshifter with a gentle smile that made her eerie eyes glow with warmth.

He tried to return her sign of affection, but couldn't quite manage it. Like the heavy, black clouds looming overhead, Beast Boy's mood was also dark, gloomy, and equally persistent.

"It isn't like Raven to just take off and not say anything. Hope she's okay," Victor added, a tightening in his jaw as he fretted over the possibilities.

Beast Boy sighed. "The only thing that could possibly make this trip any worse is having do deal with some sort of villain while we're on vacation."

"Raven can handle herself," Starfire added confidently. "I am certain she is fine."

"Yeah, I don't think even the bad guys want to be out in this storm," said Richard with a half smile, but there was a grimness that brought about the lines around his eyes and mouth.

If that had been an attempt by their leader to help uplift the changeling's spirits, it didn't work. Beast Boy merely narrowed his eyes at the taller man, clenching his jaw in irritation. Dick's smile dissipated rather quickly after that.

* * *

If the rain had been an awful pest when he'd been indoors, it was even worse when he was outside in it.

Like it had somehow predicted his presence, the storm was yet again back in full force, strong gusts of wind sweeping through the trees and wildlife with no restraint. No matter what critter he shifted into, it continued to obscure both his vision and his path. The beach was completely abandoned from what he could see, and the sand was swallowing his feet up with every step, effectively slowing him down.

The whole way, Garfield grumbled and complained to himself, growing increasingly irritable at the whole situation the more he pressed on.

He wanted to be angry with Raven, but knew there was no true justification for that. How could he blame her for not wanting to stay cooped up in a stuffy house all day, all by her lonesome? It was driving _him_ bonkers, and he'd even briefly contemplated swimming in the voracious waters regardless of the ongoing storm.

So tormented by his own thoughts and emotional turmoil, he'd almost missed her entirely. He hadn't even expected her to be there in the first place, if he was being truly honest. Somehow, it had made more sense for Starfire or Dick to stumble upon her rather than him.

Her cloak was like an inky blue smudge against the backdrop of infinite grey sky. She was the only sign of life on the horizon, where earth and heaven touched ever so fleetingly.

Beast Boy paused in his step, wiping the water from his eyes with his hands as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Raven stood in the thick of the storm, her face, pale as moonlight, turned up towards the oncoming downpour. If his vision hadn't been so blurry, Garfield might have thought that she was almost smiling with her eyes closed.

Her lips were parted ever so slightly, and the rain rolled down the soft curves of her mouth until her tongue would dart out to lick at the cool moisture.

Her clothes were soaked, her bare feet vanishing at the shoreline, where the smallest of waves would crash and bubble against her ankles, frothing cold. Even her short hair, normally with a sheen of violet in the onyx accents, was matted down and dulled by the glum canvas that was the weather. It stuck to the sides of her face, windswept and wet, a sharp contrast to the pallor of her skin.

By the time she'd felt his presence, Beast Boy realized that he'd been standing in the rain, watching her.

Raven turned her head, opening her eyes as she spotted him just down the shore.

She blinked a few times, no doubt to clear the heavy raindrops that clung to her thick lashes.

Thunder boomed, and a bolt of lightning, angry and bright, split the clouds.

What was it that she had said about the finer things?

When Beast Boy remembered how to use his legs again, he walked towards her, closing the distance between them.

He took in the appearance of her drenched form with mild concern before licking his lips and speaking up over the storm. "Why are you out here, Rae?"

She wiped at a piece of dark hair stuck to her forehead, and shrugged. "I told you; I like the rain."

"But this is a storm. You could get sick."

Raven sighed, her chest heaving with the effort. "Why don't you just stay out here with me for a bit?"

He gave her an incredulous look, like she was some sort of crazy person for even suggesting such a thing. "Look, bad weather aside, the others are worried about you. If we don't go back, they'll think something happened to us."

"They'll be fine." Without a word of warning, she took him by the hand and pulled him next to her.

Beast Boy nearly stumbled in the wet sand. The waves came crashing against his legs, cold and wet and frothing.

She didn't let go of his hand, and he couldn't help but notice.

Raven promptly returned to examining the bleak horizon, and Garfield continued to examine her with equal fascination and interest.

After a moment of silence, of playing the game of watcher and watched, she said, "I don't think you realize the amount of good you've done here, Gar."

"What do you mean?" he sputtered through the rain that slipped down the slope of his nose to his mouth.

"Kory and Dick were on the verge of a breakup. This getaway, it helped rekindle their feelings, and allowed them to connect again. They _needed_ this. As for Victor, I could feel him slipping into a slow, spiralling depression. He's really found something important with those kids, and maybe something more with Sara," she explained, never taking her eyes off the distant waters.

Her hand was wet and freezing over his, and he wondered how she wasn't shivering. How long exactly had she been out here by her lonesome?

"And you? Is this your idea of a good time, Rae?" he spoke over the heavy downpour.

She cocked her head to the side, uncertain of how to answer. "I guess…you could say, I really needed to go outside."

The dubious look he gave her pushed Raven to elaborate. "I got to thinking about what you said; that if I really enjoyed it, I'd be out here _truly_ enjoying it."

A pang of guilt consumed him; if Raven did get sick, it would be all his fault. He shouldn't have opened his mouth to begin with. "Rae, I wasn't serious. I was just being moody, and I took it out on you. Which, by the way, I do apologize for. That was…unfair of me. I'm sorry."

She shook her head adamantly, her wet hair sending droplets flying about. "You were right, though. I've spent this whole time just admiring life from a distance, always looking out the glass panes. I never really got to experience much of it, and, somewhere along the way, I grew comfortable with that."

She then turned so that she was facing him, her normally cold, amethyst stare softening in the rain. The drops in her fringe of lashes almost looked like tears. "I don't want that. I didn't defy my father, and my fate, just to let life slip by. You guys didn't jeopardize almost everything to help me do it just so that I could sit and stare by a window, or end up like the girl in the future Starfire saw."

His hands came up to hold her by the shoulders, because he was certain now that she was shaking. "Rae," he called her name, got her to focus her eyes on him. "Rae, that won't happen. _I_ won't let it happen."

His tone was stern, and in the quiet that followed, it seemed she was searching the planes of his face for a betrayal of some kind. "Do you promise? _Can_ you promise me that?" Her voice was hoarse, more-so than usual, and he knew that she was choking back tears.

A genuine smile crossed his features, and it was like a rainbow appearing after the monsoon; the only flicker of light in a desolate place. "If I need to bug you every single day, and drag you out on adventures myself, I'll do it. Heck, I'll _enjoy_ doing it."

Something like a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I don't know if I deserve it, but thank you, Gar. I…I promise I'll try harder."

Beast Boy had spent plenty of time with Raven over the course of their friendship; he'd gotten to know her, fought alongside her against the terror of Trigon, and endured plenty of other shenanigans the Titans often found themselves in.

However, he never thought that he'd seen the true colours of Raven more so than he did in that moment. She was so achingly honest and raw. She was so _scared_ ; openly terrified, without anyone having to help her realize it. She'd come to terms with her own flaws without any assistance.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, Raven had _grown_. She'd matured into not only a beautiful young woman, but an adult who was both wizened and self-aware.

And somehow, Beast Boy had fallen in love with her, although he wouldn't quite realize it until he reflected on that point years later, when she'd ask him, in a small, uncertain voice: "When did you know?"

Every time, like clockwork, she'd bring it up. Every time they got into an argument, furious with one another, eventually, she'd join him on the couch, tuck her legs beneath her, and ask him the same question in the same tone of voice.

Every time, he told her the same story, and every time, it somehow mended any rift they'd thought had come between them…

* * *

 _-FIN_


	9. May 07: Domestic & Doom Patrol

**A/N:** _This is the last one, folks! Thank you to everyone for reading, and all those who contributed to such a successful BBRae week! I had a blast! I'll be returning to regular updates for the other ongoing fics I have. :)_

* * *

BBRae Week: Day 7

 _ **Domestic vs Doom Patrol**_

* * *

She should have known better than to have assumed it was merely a case of the sniffles.

Raven picked up her communicator and dialed the one person she knew she could rely on in times as dire as these.

"I need to speak to Nightwing," she fretted into the compact screen of the handheld device.

It buzzed to life, crackling black and white static before something bright and explosive could be made out in the background. Whoever the comm was currently attached to had seemingly taken a heavy hit in combat, and was rolling around on the ground, because the next second, all she saw was the tumble of grass, and all she heard were the grunts from the impact.

"You okay there, Gar?!" a familiar voice echoed in the background.

The communicator shifted, as if the changeling had finally noted that it was on. In moments, Raven was greeted by the friendly, and somewhat beaten up, visage of the green shapeshifter.

"Raven! What's, uh…what's up?" he breathed, clearly winded and somewhat wincing, but trying to mask the pain.

"Gar?" she murmured, uncertainty colouring her tone. "What are you doing with Dick's communicator?" Raven pressed, trying to get a better look at the villain behind him that he'd been entangled with only moments earlier.

Changeling grimaced, and something roared loudly from behind him, vibrating the little screen and making Garfield's eyes widen in fear.

He snapped his head to attention, and then looked back at her, appearing both modestly sheepish and flustered at the same time. "Oh, he didn't tell you? He's gone undercover, so he's forwarded all his calls to me for the day. Star and Vic are also helping take turns," Garfield explained with a cheeky grin.

The ground shook, and something heavy went flying past his head. He managed to duck just in time.

"So, Dick is completely tied up?" Raven tried to clarify, already feeling the effects of the oncoming migraine.

The green boy frowned dejectedly. "Sorry, Rae. Anything I can help you with?"

Before Raven could even open her mouth to formulate a sentence, she was interrupted.

"Could really use a hand here, green bean!" a gruff male voice intruded. Something that sounded a lot like metal crunching could be heard in the distance.

"Is that Cliff?" Raven queried, trying to get around Garfield's face to no avail.

The changeling scratched at his head, looking torn about what to do. "Uh, yeah. I told you, I'm out running a mission with the Doom Patrol. They have suspicions Madame Rouge and her daughter are nestled up in this area, trying to enslave an entire nation to do their bidding," he explained hurriedly, not stopping once to catch his breath.

Raven watched as he expertly dodged another blow to his skull from the angry gorilla swiping at him. Once Mallah had expertly dispatched Cliff by sending him flying into a tree, he was quick to tackle his next target. Nonetheless, Changeling continued trying to explain the situation even as Mallah attacked him relentlessly. "As you can see, we found a few of her hired hel- _Woaah_!" Garfield then stumbled trying to dodge another angry fist, dropping the communicator in the tall grass as a result.

Raven sat up, panic etched into her features. "Gar? Gar!" she cried out.

The baby wailed from the crib in crescendo, and the empath's head pounded. Raven groaned, running her hand through her hair. "I can't do this; I'm literally the worst with kids!"

The crying persisted, and grew louder, muffled only by coughing fits and an obscene amount of phlegm. Raven then walked over to the child, crouching down so that she was staring her dead in the eyes, nearly nose to nose. "What do you want? I can't make this better if you won't tell me!" she growled.

The baby sneezed in Raven's face, effectively covering her in a layer of sticky phlegm.

The empath scrunched up her nose, closed her eyes, and tried not to gag as she wiped away the thick, warm liquid now covering her skin.

" _Bleh_!"

The baby giggled, amused by what she'd done.

Raven opened her eyes to glare menacingly at the infant. "You think this is funny, huh?" she barked, but the little girl only continued to smile sweetly, unaffected by Raven's chilling, violet gaze.

"Rae?"

Her communicator buzzed to life again, and the empath picked it up to find the changeling out of breath once more, but this time, she could see Cliff and Larry tying up a very unconscious gorilla in the background.

Garfield was sweating profusely, the beads of moisture dripping down his neck and chest. "Sorry about that. What were we talking about?"

Raven scowled, jutting out her bottom lip. "You should be here babysitting. _Not me_ ," she stated bitterly through gritted teeth.

"Izzat Raven? Tell her I said hi." Cliff's golden metal hand invaded the tiny screen and took over Garfield's face. The robotic digits moved in greeting.

The changeling promptly shoved it out of the way, an irritable growl causing his lips to peel back and reveal his fangs. "We're trying to talk here, Cliff! Do you mind?"

The metal man chuckled but moved away. Not wishing to miss a beat, Raven pounced on the opportunity open to her. "Hey Cliff, Larry. Do you guys know anything about sick kids?" she asked in a bored tone, ignoring the whimpering that had picked up yet again from behind her.

Garfield's eyes widened, horrified. "Sick? She's sick?"

Raven sighed, and panned the communicator over so that he got a good look at the teary-eyed child standing in her crib, sniffling.

By the time Raven brought the camera back to her, Garfield was positively beside himself. He was clutching at his hair like a mad man, his expression betraying all the thoughts that were no doubt playing in his head.

"Raven! Have you taken her to a doctor yet? Is she feverish? Feel her head. Take her temperature. I should have a thermometer in the bathroom cabinet," he ranted, his words nearly jumbling together heatedly.

Garfield Mark Logan. Could fight a giant, French, super intelligent gorilla that could speak, yet somehow, became a blubbering fool when it concerned a certain baby girl.

Raven rolled her eyes, propping her chin in the palm of her hand while her elbows rested against the tabletop. "And this is precisely why I wanted to speak to Richard instead," she droned impassively.

This garnered her a hardened look from the shapeshifter, and when he spoke, his tone was serious and commanding. "Here's what you do; take her temperature, make sure she's hydrated, keep her warm so she sweats off the fever. If she gets fussy, try a cool, damp cloth on her forehead every now and again to help her feel comfortable. Make sure Alice the Bunny is nearby at _all_ times, and I mean, within eyesight, or she'll wake up crying in the middle of the night."

Raven stood up and approached the crib, where the little girl was back to being on the verge of tears. She looked flushed, her skin pink and clammy. Her short hair, jet black, was a mess from all the rolling around she'd done in her sleep. On top of all that, she was positively cranky, constantly sniffling as liquid ran down her nose to her little lips. Her eyes, vibrant green in colour, were watering. When Raven approached her, she stretched out her little arms towards the empath just over the crib, reaching for her.

"If I pick you up, you can't vomit on me like you did last time," Raven threatened, but her voice had long since lost its edge.

The infant frowned and blubbered back in response, making noises with her mouth while pinching her little stubby fingers together in Raven's direction. The empath sighed deeply before reluctantly picking her up and cradling her against her breast. "Alright, alright," she soothed, rubbing the baby's back.

The little girl immediately snuggled into her, wrapping her short arms around her neck as far as they would go.

"Rae, you got this. I know you do. The kid loves you to the moon and back," Garfield encouraged through the open communicator in Raven's other hand.

When she brought it back up to eye level, he shyly averted his gaze, and scratched nervously at the back of his head. "Uh…if you need me, I can catch the next flight out. I know she can be a real handful, even when she isn't sick, and I didn't mean to leave you stuck with her or anything…"

Raven immediately shook her head, regretting the words she'd said in frustration. "No. I can't ask that of you. I can't ask that of the Doom Patrol. They _need_ you, Gar. I'll, uh…I'll handle the sick kid. I've already gotten all of her other body fluids on me before, what're a few sniffles and sneezes going to do?"

The changeling smiled, lopsided, but also honest and sincere. "That's my girl," he stated quite proudly.

Raven rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the tug of a smile, either. His good mood was always infectious, even when they were miles apart.

"Tell Raven Rita wants to come by and visit the kid once we're done cleaning up Rouge's mess," Larry trilled in the background, effectively ending the moment.

The sorceress smirked while the child cooed in her embrace. "She's more than welcome. Your mom's _way_ better at this baby stuff than I ever will be," Raven acknowledged, still rubbing the girl's back while she dozed peaceably against her shoulder.

Garfield's smile reached his eyes, bringing out the many shades of green reflected in his irises. "You know, you're a good mother, too, Rae. You're just learning to get the hang of it. We both are." He then leaned in so that the others didn't hear him when he added quite coyly, "Besides, we make one hell of a cute critter, I'd say."

Raven flushed crimson when he winked cheekily at her, grinning with all his handsome charm.

He'd left her speechless, and Raven had to look away from the intensity of his gaze before her knees buckled.

"Also, how about next time, you don't go calling Richard for help when it comes to taking care of my own daughter, Rae? I'm a perfectly competent father," he then stated matter-of-factly, his smile shaping into a defensive frown instead.

Raven opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, trying desperately to find the right words to defend herself. "Dick has Mar'i! He's practically an expert on this whole baby stuff," Raven exclaimed. "The girl is half _alien_ , for crying out loud!"

Her own daughter stirred in her arms, growing agitated with the yelling. Raven rocked her gently back into slumber, self-conscious of her own raised voice now.

Garfield narrowed his eyes. "She's my kid, Rae, and she currently has a fever, a scratchy cough, and more phlegm than she's comfortable with. See? I'm not totally incompetent, you know."

"Gar's always been good with kids. You got yourself a decent husband, Raven," Cliff reaffirmed, poking his robot head into the conversation.

"Not to mention, a crazy family of in-laws that'll dote on that little girl like she's the centre of the universe," chipped in Larry.

"Clearly, you haven't met my father or my brothers," Raven grumbled under her breath sarcastically.

She then sighed and closed her eyes, contemplative. "Look, I'm _sorry_. I reached out to Richard out of force of habit. I'm used to going to him about these things. I didn't mean to…undermine your fathering capabilities, Gar. I _know_ you're a good dad. Do you honestly think I would have agreed to any of this if I didn't?"

His frown softened. "Apology accepted. But Rae, you need to start coming to _me_ about these things. I'm the one you're married to; I'm the father of our kid."

"Uh, not to intrude or anything, but we I think we have a cranky gorilla on our hands," Larry informed the group.

Mallah had come to and was currently fighting with his weakening constraints.

Both Larry and Cliff were quick to maintain them before he managed to escape, but they were struggling to do so.

"Gonna need you here, kid!" Cliff grunted.

A muscle in Garfield's jaw twitched, and Raven knew it as a classic sign that he was itching for a fight. He was both frustrated and torn. "Rae, I have to go. We'll…we'll talk more when I get back," he said gruffly, and with great difficulty.

There was nothing that the shapeshifter valued more than his family and loved ones; however, if he didn't jump in soon, Mallah would break free and continue to wreak havoc while buying Rouge the time she needed to achieve her goals.

"Of course…," Raven gulped, but the communicator screen had already gone black, even though she had so much more she needed to say…

* * *

 _-FIN_


End file.
